Forgotten Dusk
by S-n-C
Summary: A loner vampire encounters a loner human girl...but something doesn't add up. The result? Endless drama and dilemmas they must both struggle through, dragging their loved ones, both werewolf and vampire, along with them. How long before peace resumes? R
1. one

The petite figure walked lethargically down the bare, dark streets of New York. The occasional car would pass by, and the sidewalk was reasonably lit by all the buildings surrounding the area. Other than that, life on the road was scarce. A sigh escaped her lips as she plopped down into the bench at her designated bus stop. After an hour of dance and then six hours of working as a waitress at the local diner (on a Friday night, mind you), it could really tire a girl out. She stretched out her legs, covered by a pair of faded jeans. Around the knees she had various rips and tears, revealing porcelain, sun kissed skin. She made a face, observing the bruises on her knees she'd already received from the dance routine she was working on. She bruised so easily.

The girl, by the name of Olivia Jane Roberts, reached up and pulled out the thick brown hair tie that held up her long blond hair. It fell around her shoulders and tickled her cheeks. She tucked the strands behind her ears then readjusted her worn out black messenger bag, placing it on her lap. Tapping her feet, which were tightly laced up with her knee-high pink converse, Olivia waited impatiently for the bus. She'd been taking the bus to and from all her desired destinations for four years since she was twelve. Back then, it was always an adventure and a bit frightening to get on a bus all on her own. Now, at sixteen, it was second nature and no longer seemed like such an awesome thing.

The wind picked up for a moment, and her over sized leather jacket and white racer back tank top was just enough to prevent her from chattering her teeth. She shivered, but wasn't sure if it was because of the temperature…  
Her almond shaped eyes averted in the direction her bus was supposed to arrive from, her bright green iris' scanning the dimly lit surroundings curiously. All the while, something was observing her with just as much curiosity…

Nikita Landus sat on the filthy ground in an alleyway between two tall red-bricked buildings. The intimidating aura of the place wasn't anything compared to the hell he'd been through. Even if he did happen to run into someone meaning any sort of harm, it definitely wouldn't be an issue. Self-defence techniques weren't needed in his case. Sure, he wasn't brawny. But no matter how slight his muscles may seem at first glance, they rippled through his body and possessed more power than any human could ever be capable of.

Now, however, he was using the alleyways in hopes of not running into one of the pitiful creatures. He'd surely waited too long, convincing himself he could last longer than a month without feeding. 'Idiot' he thought to himself bitterly, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. Now his thirst was beyond thick. It was stupidly thick. He needed it badly, his body growing weak. He feared he wouldn't be able to have the strength to hunt, let alone stand. In frustration, he banged his head against the bricks behind him. No pain was recognized, even though he'd hit it pretty hard.

It wasn't until he let out an exhausted sigh that he heard footsteps. Slow, lazy footsteps, which were no doubt those of a human. He could then feel the wind starting to pick up.

"Shit…" he muttered to himself quickly at an almost inaudible volume. He knew now that the soft breeze would blow the person's hair or pick up their delicious scent, only to send it his way. This poor pathetic creature would be dead before they knew it, and Nikita would carry the guilt for his whole life, just as he'd done with all the other lives he'd viciously taken. He could just imagine, though, how delectable it would be after centuries of resistance… feeling the warm, familiar, thick liquid drip down his aching throat…

No, he mustn't think such things.

Focus, he ordered himself mentally, You must focus. He braced himself, stiffening to the stillness of stone and holding his unnecessary breath. But nothing came. Not one fragment of temptation for blood crept into his nose. His brow knitted together in confusion. What happened? He crept to the corner of the alleyway, peering around it. Yes, there certainly was someone there. A female, sitting at the bus stop. This was so peculiar. He had such an acute sense of smell, even though he was a 'vegetarian', in vampire terms. It didn't seem right that he couldn't find any trace of blood. It was almost as though she had water running through her veins and arteries instead of the sweet crimson his kind adored.

Nikita gathered his strength and stood. It didn't take a whole lot of effort, just a lot more than usual. It was exhausting to stand, but not entirely impossible. He took quiet, cautious steps towards the bench, observing the girl the whole time. He half hoped he would smell something, and then his frustration could be denied and wiped away. However, he also half feared that would happen, not wanting to hurt her.

But still, nothing happened. He approached her further, still searching. Nothing. He decided a risk was meant to be taken at this point.  
"Excuse me, miss?" he spoke, his voice softer than needed.

Olivia jumped, having not heard anyone coming up so quickly. But his words caught her off guard; they had been so delicate, so smooth. Not a single falter. She turned, and felt her mouth drop slightly in awe of his perfect face. The purplish circles around his piercing grey eyes, his almost white skin making him appear as though he were glowing, his shaggy mess of jet-black hair… His appearance was so incredible, it became intimidating. Her reply never came; she merely gawked at him for a long moment.

Nikita smirked inwardly. He could talk anyone into doing anything. He'd always been rather persuasive. Not to mention the gift of beauty that had been given to him in exchange for his soul was extremely useful.

"What bus is this?" he asked so eloquently, though his words were similar to that of everyday talk. He still stood behind the back of the bench, sort of towering over the poor creature. She was within his reach...

Olivia closed her mouth, finally, and swallowed. She averted her green eyes away from his face for a moment, gathering her thoughts.  
"Uh… route ninety-eight." She answered.

Nikita released the full power of his gleaming smile on her. "Great, that's mine." He then gripped the top of the back of the bench and swung his legs over effortlessly. The movement was so swift, that Olivia couldn't help but stare.  
He noticed her ogling, and raised his eyebrows curiously.

"What is it?" he asked her simply, seeming to sound offended. The hurt puppy look was also one of his many talents.

Olivia blinked and shook her head, averting her eyes elsewhere, anywhere but his sharp grey eyes.

"Nothing…" she mumbled.

A long, deathly silent moment passed without a single noise. Olivia noticed he was too still. As if he weren't even breathing.. as if he didn't have a pulse... He was sitting nonchalantly with his legs apart, slouching slightly. However, even in such a natural pose of any New Yorker, it seemed too… perfect. As if he were etched from solid granite or some sort of crystal.

She started chewing on her bottom lip, waiting for the bus to come, and waiting for him to move. Oh crap, was he dead? Olivia risked a glance in his direction, and unfortunately caught his eyes on hers. He seemed frustrated, like he couldn't find something or was searching desperately for the answer to some impossible quesion. She quickly looked the other way. She started fidgeting with the sleeves of her leather jacket, rolling them up to the crease at her elbow.

Nikita was too tired to try and analyze the situation any further within the barriers of his own mind. "What's your name…?" he asked finally. His tone was sharper than before. He's made the mistake of letting his impatience get the best of him.

His voice still gave her a strange chill, the way it pierced the silence so viciously. But it was his question that frightened her. It wasn't asked in that polite, small talk way… It was posed in an intimidating and almost threatening way.

Of course, Nikita didn't mean for it to sound like this. He was simply excruciatingly irritated that he couldn't find a scent. What the hell was wrong with him? Honestly… was he just imagining it all? Was this girl even real? Oh great… He was hallucinating. That was a sure sign of insanity. Comforting.

Olivia gathered her thoughts slowly. She cleared her throat, and answered meekly.

"Olivia."

He nodded. Now, since it was common courtesy, he had to tell her his name.

"Nikita." Came his reply.

"Hi." Olivia said pathetically. Nikita had to stifle his laughter. Typical human.

"Hi." He said, struggling to conceal his patronizing smirk.

A few more moments passed, Olivia looking the opposite direction to him, him staring at her in confusion. Her skin was so fragile, thin and almost translucent. He could see her blue veins, strong and visible, trace down her wrists and up her arms. It was crazy to think she had no odor. So unusual... Any other like herself with such fine qualities of temptation, would have a strong smell. A nice smell, not too sweet and without a trace of bitterness or sour after taste... The perfect blood. Bizarre...

The silence continued without a skip. Until, that is, he finally got fed up and did a pretty risky thing. An _extremely_ risky thing, in fact. Slowly, but surely, Nikita's body seemed to lean towards the girl. At the same time, his head tilted as if he were going to whisper something in Olivia's ear. Then, he took a deep, slow breath in through his nose, and carefully out his mouth. Nothing at all.

She felt his exhalation on the nape of her neck and whipped around to whack him away. He was already well out of her line of reach, staring at her with wide, innocent eyes. She screeched before slipping off the edge of the bench. Once landing firmly on her backside, coincidentally into a shallow puddle of dirty, polluted New York water, Olivia stared up at him in horror. It felt like an hour that they stared at each other with equal amounts of shock, when in fact it was merely a few moments. Without a second thought, she jumped to her feet, clutched her bag and ran. Oh, how she ran. Never looking back once, the girl ran straight home.

Nikita sighed in aggravation.

"Idiot…" he muttered to himself.

Well, thanks to his dominant curiosity, at least he'd gained some strength. He stood, glancing once more in the direction Olivia had run off in, then he was off for the night, venturing to the forests outside of New York to feed.

He'd deal with this situation later.


	2. two

Nikita lay, flat on his back, beneath a window. It was a window that belonged to a bedroom. A bedroom that belonged to a girl. He was behind a large, untamed bush of ivy, hidden from view of the public. He grimaced at the bugs crawling around inside the bush, having never had a real liking for them. It hadn't been hard to find this window, let alone the small house it belonged to.

After chasing down a couple lame deer outside of New York's bright lights, Nick trailed back to the bus stop where he'd encountered Olivia. His stone brow furrowed as he examined the surroundings, attempting to find out where the girl had run off to. He saw a diner down the road, closed, a dance studio down the road in the opposite direction and a library across the street. Unable to find anything worth his time, Nick plopped down into the bench and heaved a loud sigh.

Just then, something shiny caught his now softer grey eyes. He was upon the object in a moment. It was small, and when he picked it up, he discovered it was a card. It was in a small laminated pouch, and he scanned the first side of it he saw. A bus pass. Well, that means she must have walked the rest of the way home. He flipped it over, and saw something actually useful. Her student ID card, along with her school photo.

"Olivia Roberts... grade 11, Regis High School..." Nikita muttered to himself. Simple enough. It had her name, and it was definitely her face. He could just go to the school and see her there in the morning, but he wouldn't mind seeing her living arrangements. All he needed now was a phone book. After that was in his capable, and cold, hands, having found it in a telephone booth, he was all set. Within a mere hour he found the house. It wasn't a mansion, that's for sure.

A one level house painted a pastel indigo color with three windows all on one wall. There were two wide ones, those of the bedrooms, and one smaller ones between them. He guessed the smaller one was the bathroom one because of the way the glass had been blurred. The blinds were closed on each bedroom. They were a dull, off white hue with several kinks and creases in them. Nikita angled himself, peering through the narrow cracks, trying to figure out which one belonged to Olivia. In one room, the room at the far end of the house, he saw a queen sized mattress with multiple quilts piled in a heap in the middle of the bed. A broken lamp in the corner, pillows without any coverings, a stained carpet and a dusty mirror were the only other things he saw in the room. Clearly, this wasn't her room. He switched over to the other window, passing the bathroom window on his way, and discovered a completely different scene.

The walls of this room were painted a light, cheery yellow with crisp white trim. A twin bed with a white duvet and half a dozen pillows was off in one corner, and a clean, well-kept wooden desk in another corner. The room had been rid of the carpet, and instead had a worn out wooden floor. Her closet was open, revealing some jackets and shoes, and many, many books. Big reader, clearly. Next to her bed sat a nightstand with a small lamp, the only thing currently lighting the room. There were several other lamps scattered throughout the room, as well. At the foot of her bed, was a laundry hamper and then her dresser was fitted snugly beside her desk. Her desk held papers and a pencil case, a lamp and a small portable stereo. On top of her dresser, were multiple stacks of CD's.

Nikita was astounded by the difference between the rooms…. It was like it wasn't even in the same house, as if they were from different worlds. He wondered, whom did the other room belong to? It was dirty and dark and depressing…

Then, Olivia had entered the room. He only observed her for a few moments, not wanting to intrude. Even he had the decency to give a girl her privacy, especially since it was a human girl. But from what he saw, she was an average teenage girl, nothing particularly special about her. Well, other than the fact that her blood was odorless.  
She walked in, wearing black boxers and a baby pink camisole, yawning and rubbing her tired eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun and she was barefoot. After letting her hair out, she sat down on her bed with a loud sigh and pulled out some socks. She slipped them on, then curled up under the warm blankets. She adjusted and readjusted the pillows until they were to her desired comfort. Once she finally lay still and closed her eyes, Nikita gave her the deserved privacy.

Now, he'd been lying beneath her window for a solid eight hours, and the sun was starting to rise. A small amount of panic formed in his throat, until the dull grey clouds slid over the light and cast the whole street in a shadow. He checked his pocket watch. It was six thirty in the morning. A few moments later, the light above him flicked on and he heard her crawling out of bed. The light brightened as he heard her flick on a few more lamps, then she opened a drawer to her dresser.

Olivia got home faster than she though, that night. She guessed it was probably because she was so terrified, she lost track of time. But she checked the clock when she got home, and saw it had taken her forty minutes to run from the bus stop home. Her eyebrows had risen in wonder. Last time she checked, she could barely run for ten minutes, let alone sprint for forty. Must have been the fear pulsing through her. It was kind of silly, really. One little thing freaks her out and she makes a huge deal and runs away. Typical of her to over-exaggerate...  
But it wasn't just the smelling thing… there was a vibe… a vibe that intrigued her yet told her sternly to keep away. It was a chilling feeling; one that gave you shivers of both pleasure and fear…

She tried to forget the whole incident, changing right away into her pyjamas; a pair of black silky boxers and a pale pink camisole. But she found herself still quivering as she undressed and dressed. Her hair, she tied it back using an old elastic then grabbed a couple pins and stuck in there in the shape of an 'X' to hold it up. However, it took her longer than usual to make them straight because of her quivering hands. Too exhausted to wash her face or even brush her teeth, Olivia walked slowly back to her room. She was glad she never had to walk by her mother's room, at the end of the hall, not that it was ever occupied by its rightful owner. Her mother was always at some motel, too exhausted by whatever she did to drive all the way home. Or at least, that was the excuse she gave Olivia. She paid the bills when she came home every now and then, making sure her daughter was all right, but other than that, she was practically nonexistent.  
But her room… Oh her room was so dreadful. It was never taken care of, dust always lined every surface…

Anyhow, Olivia put some cozy dry socks on and curled up in her bed.  
Her sleep was fitful, waking up every now and then. She didn't dream much, but she did see a mix up of different images. The one that kept repeating itself was Nikita's wide curious eyes, penetrating her own green ones. That explained why she couldn't sleep. They seemed to stare right through her. She awoke a bit later than usual. Half an hour later, to be exact. Her alarm read six thirty in the morning, so she rolled out of bed and flicked her lamp on. After adjusting her eyes to the new lighting, Olivia stretched and dragged her feet off to the bathroom. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, going through the tedious tasks she went through every morning: brush hair, brush teeth, get dressed, make toast, apply makeup…

Of course, they were absolutely necessary. Well, except maybe the make-up part. But she only used a bit of cover up and some lip-gloss and mascara. She never lathered on the stuff like she was some sort of showgirl. Even though she was fortunate enough to have porcelain skin, like that of a doll's, there was the odd imperfection along her face.

Once she was ready, her hair in a neat low ponytail and wearing her denim skort and purple blouse with her worn out white sneakers, Olivia ate quickly then dashed out the door, grabbing her bag along the way.

Nikita was instantly awake when he heard the creaking of the door opening, followed by a faint click as she closed it. Show time.

Olivia walked briskly down the driveway, paying more attention to searching for something in her bag than to where she placed her feet. Then, she stepped on her own toe by accident and wound up falling onto the crack concrete. Her knees broke her fall and she dropped her bag.

"Ouch!" she cried, wincing. She brought one knee up to examine it. After brushing away the small fragments of rocks, sure enough, she'd skinned her knees. There was some blood, but not a whole lot.

This was Nikita's chance. While she was distracted by her own simple pain, he ran to the other side of the road. His movement was so quick; no one could have possibly seen it. But, the fact that she was bleeding and he sense nothing only made him more irritated.

"Miss? Are you alright?" his voice was even softer than it was last night, what with him being much more calm and relaxed and at ease after feeding.

But because it was so soft, it sent off a major alarm in Olivia's head. Her head snapped up and her bright green eyes widened in horror.  
"Y-you—!" she stammered, unable to finish.

"Are you okay?" Nikita asked again, looking at her knee. "Did you fall?"

"I'm fine." She snapped, standing up right, regaining her thoughts. "What do you want?"

Nikita frowned. "I see you're still upset about last night." He acknowledged.

Olivia scoffed. "No, why should I be?" she retorted.

Nikita hadn't been expected her to be so rash. "Well, I assumed you took my actions in the wrong sense…"

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Actions? You were smelling me!!" she almost screamed

Nikita shook his head. "Seems I was right. You see, I was looking for the time. I thought maybe you might have a watch."

"Why didn't you just ask?" she spat, bending down quickly to retrieve her bag.

Nick shrugged. "I dunno. You were acting all weird… guess I didn't want to bother you."

"Well that worked like a charm…" she muttered, inaudible for any human ear, but Nikita heard just fine.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I guess I should explain…"

Olivia nodded in approval.

"You see, I live at the end of this street. Just moved here, in fact. I've seen you around a few times… and I recognized you at the bus stop. I thought maybe I could strike up some sort of conversation." He seemed embarrassed. Great liar, indeed.

Olivia wasn't one to be gullible, but the way he said it all, she just had to believe him. He really hadn't done anything wrong. She sighed, loosening her posture.

"Okay.." she said, dismissing her negativity.

Nikita seemed to like that, smiling triumphantly. "Anyways, I came back to give you this. You dropped it, uh… on your way home.." he said, substituting the real story with something less embarrassing, for her sake. He held out the bus pass and ID card.

Olivia's eyes widened. She hadn't even realized she'd lost them. "Thank you." She said, extremely grateful, as she took them from him. The cards were cold… She wondered why…

"Are you on your way to school?" he asked, glancing at her bag.

"Er, yeah…" Liv responded shyly.

"Mind if I walk you? It's the least I could do. Besides, I'm new at the school. Wouldn't mind if I had someone more accustomed to it than I." He spoke so eloquently. It was something you picked up after three or four centuries.

Olivia nodded, a bit confused by his request. The two walked in silence, side by side, walking in unison. She averted her gaze from his at all times, while he couldn't let his eyes leave her. He pursed his lips, concentrating.

This was all so… so… so weird.


	3. three

The silence went on for a while. Nikita had been dissecting his thoughts repeatedly in his head as he stared at the girl, while she constantly avoided his eyes. Olivia held her breath every now and then, out of nervousness. He was such a bizarre boy. Well, boy wouldn't really describe him. His eyes held such more than that; they held wisdom. His body was too firm to be that of a boy's, with muscle and not a trace of acne, the perfect skin. But his skin was so pale… He looked like an albino. Of course, Olivia had never truly met an albino so she wouldn't really know, but his skin was similar to how she imagined it. There were small lines under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept enough that night. Well, neither had she, for that matter.

Olivia risked a glance at him, but whipped her head right back to where it was when she saw he was still staring at her. Through her peripheral vision, she saw Nikita sigh quietly and turn to face the other direction. She took another chance to look at him. The lines were different from last night... shallower, and lighter. His eyes were so much softer, not so sharp and menacing. His head was still a disarray of black shaggy hair, with various pieces sticking out here and there.

It wasn't until they reached the crosswalk at the end of Olivia (and supposedly Nikita)'s, street, that one of them spoke. Surprisingly, though, it was Liv.

"Why…" she began, not sure if she was ready to speak. She was still staring at him intently.

Nikita turned, looking at her with the same amount of intensity. "Yes?" he spoke, encouraging her to speak.

"Why are you so different?" there, she said it. She practically tripped over her own words but had managed to spit it out at least.

Nikita chuckled, half with humor, half without. He stared forward, and his lips barely moved at his reply. Olivia had to lean it slightly to clearly hear the words he was muttering.

"I could ask you the same thing." He seemed to say.

Olivia was confused by his reply, since it for one didn't answer her question to begin with and two, what the hell did he mean by that?

They rounded the bend in the road and the school came into view. It was large school, fairly new by the looks of it. The ceilings were high and it was brightly lit, the lights reflecting off of the shiny linoleum floors. Outside in front, were the various groups found in usual secondary schools: jock, preppy, band geeks, goths and punks, druggies, drama freaks and then the random loners scattered randomly throughout it all. That was Olivia: a loner.  
Sure, she had friends, and she'd known them since kindergarten. But they'd all gone their separate ways once they'd reached high school. It was only Olivia who didn't change; who didn't find any interest in any of the cliques. She had no strong talent. She was decent at sports but never exceptional, loved to dance (but they didn't have that at her school), she could sing (but hated the choir teacher), she'd never had any desire for foreign substances to smoke, snort or inject into her body… so in the end, she was on her own.

As she and Nikita walked to the front doors, they did more than turn a few heads. Whispers erupted from everyone. What was such a plain girl doing with such an… exquisite boy? Or rather, man. It didn't match up.

"Well, uh…" Olivia said, taking a step away from him. She didn't want to cause too much commotion, draw too much attention to herself. She'd never been one to be ostentatious. "I gotta go to my locker... see you around." She spoke quickly then turned around and started walking away. This seemed to cease the whispers, pleasing the crowd as they saw the girl flee from Nikita.  
But this didn't satisfy Nick. He still needed to find that damned scent.

"Wait!" he called, already caught up to her. He grabbed her elbow. "I still need someone to show me around." He requested, his eyes begging for her to agree. But Olivia noticed something different... as though he were begging for something more than simple directions.This displeased the crowd, and the whispers started again, more viciously than before.

"Um, I--"

"Please?" he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Olivia looked up at his eyes, and nodded slowly. Nick smiled.

"Thank you, Olivia." It was the first time he'd ever said her name, and the sound of it almost made her faint.

"You're welcome…Nikita." It was the first time she'd ever said his name out loud, and the sound of it nearly made him laugh.

After she gathered her thoughts, Liv straightened up. "Where do you want to go first?" she spoke with such confidence… where in the heck did she find that?

The corner of Nikita's mouth twisted up into an adorable smirk. "Hm…I suppose the library. I wouldn't mind checking out their literary selection."

Olivia nodded. "Alright, fair enough." She raised her chin, mostly to tell their audience that she wasn't as pathetic as they thought, then walked off into the school.

Nikita followed her, amused.

Olivia led him up the stairs to the library. The library was magnificent, with each wall covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves, which were stacked with hundreds of thick books, old and new. In the center of the room, there were three different sitting areas. Each one consisted of four comfy, cushioned sofa chairs around an oval table. The far wall, however, had no shelves, no books. Instead it had a floor to ceiling window, letting in massive amounts of light. At the entrance, sat an older woman, maybe in her fifties, with frizzy red hair and small glasses; the librarian. She greeted Olivia with a smile, since she was a regular reader, but eyed Nikita curiously.

Olivia explained in a quiet voice, "Oh, Mrs. O'Neil, he's new to the school I'm just showing him around.

She nodded, smiling at the boy. Nikita smiled back dazzlingly, and the beauty of his grin took the woman aback.

The two still had an hour before school started, plenty of time to show him around the main parts of the school.

Nikita and Olivia sat down in one of the seating areas, across from each other. She tucked her legs up on the seat, unable to sit cross-legged because of her skirt, while he sat the same way he had at the bus stop: legs apart comfortably, slouched slightly and resting his elbows on his knees. Only now, he was staring at her. An idea popped into his head. With such access to books, there had to be something here written about…

Without a second thought, he stood. "Hold on a minute." He told her, walking towards one of the shelves. He scanned the walls, searching for any helpful title. Olivia merely nodded, watching him curiously.

He was halfway done with one wall when he found one that seemed promising enough: "The Cold Ones: a documentary on the legend". It was a thick book, and an old one, too. Perfect.

Nikita took the book and walked back to Olivia.

"What's that?" she asked wonderingly.

He ignored her, flipping the pages at an almost invisible speed. It startled Olivia, and she couldn't look away. He searched the index and something caught his eye. 'Complications'. He found the page and read, his eyes going left and right too quickly.

Olivia was kind of frightened by his behavior. No matter how quickly he moved, it was always graceful.

Nikita then found a section in the chapter that matched his situation perfectly.  
'Scent.'

He read the paragraph aloud to himself, though his voice was barely audible for anyone but him.

'The Cold Ones, more commonly known as vampires, find their prey using the victim's scent. However, many complications can arise. Such as an irresistible smell, or no smell at all. The irresistible scent occurs very rarely, as does the nonexistent scent.

With the irresistible scent, the vampire cannot deny the fact that the human's blood is so much more desirable than any other. It attracts the cold one to the victim even more than the victim is attracted to the vampire. If the vampire is willing, they can ignore the thirst and learn to even care for the victim as a lover, or friend. That is, if they're willing and/or have enough will power to conquer the obstacles in such a challenge. The majority of the time, they will give in to the temptation and drink the blood.

Now, the no smell at all is strange, and sometimes easier to deal with. The vampire may come across a human without any trace of blood inside them. It will seem to the cold one as if the human has water running through their veins instead of blood. But the occurrence of no scent in that particular human will only happen to that specific vampire. To any other vampire, their blood is the same as any other, or it may even be the irresistible type. Usually, if the cold one isn't observant, they may not even notice the change and move on. But, if they do notice, it can frustrate them easily. They won't have any temptation to kill, since it is the smell that usually sets them off. Instead, they may befriend the human, trying to get closer to them in order to retrieve a scent. It will not happen, they will not find a scent. Normally, they grow close to the human and protect them like a sibling or friend or even lover. Either way, finding a scent in this case, is impossible.'

Nikita shut the book after that, not needing to read any further, and stared at Olivia. She flinched back. He was frustrated again.

"What's wrong…?" she questioned timidly, concern evident in her quiet voice.

He sighed and shook his head. "It's nothing." He pursed his lips and returned the book to the nearest shelf. "Want to show me around some more?"

Olivia nodded, still unconvinced by his answer.

Now that he'd intruded on her life this far, he couldn't just back out. This girl was one of the rare occurrences in his demonic little world, and he felt the need to protect her.  
Besides, it intrigued him, her personality. She was different from your typical teenager.

Olivia walked him out of the library and they started down the hall.  
"So, what's your class schedule?" she asked.

Nikita shrugged. "I don't know, what's yours?"


	4. four

Olivia shrugged. "Well, I've got English first block, then chemistry, then lunch. After that I've got French and then P.E.. You haven't gotten your schedule yet?" she asked as they started down the staircase. Passers-by stared incredulously at the two walking side by side.

"No, I should probably go to the office later on, it'll be the last stop on our little tour." He chuckled, she didn't join in.

Olivia showed him around. To the gym, the cafeteria, a couple classrooms and then  
finally, the office.

"Well, here we are." She announced dully.

It seemed she was disappointed. He was so interesting… even though she'd done the majority of the talking. He was funny, and understanding… but she didn't find him attractive in the way of romance, more like a best friend. It was strange. He seemed so… unbelievable. The way he behaved, the way he reacted, the way he spoke. Everything about him made her inch closer and closer to the edge of her seat. She could never be sure what he might do next. Little did she knew, his sentiments were rather close to her own.

While they'd sat in the cafeteria, a group of girls, clearly envious of Olivia and her new friend, had hissed venomous whispers. Nikita, hearing their comments, had held up one finger, quieting Liv for a few moments while he turned and faced the girls with a glare cold enough to freeze them and sharp enough to pierce them. Olivia could recall biting her lip to stifle her giggles when the girls' faces went from jealous to terrified as they gathered their bags and scattered. Then, Nikita returned to their conversation as if nothing happened. As if the girls hadn't ever existed. The way he sheltered her from the smallest things made Olivia feel flattered and insulted all at once; it was nice having someone take care of you, but she wasn't completely incapable of everything. He seemed rather protective of her, even if they'd only met last night, and their meeting hadn't been the most pleasant.

Nikita glanced at the office. "Hm… well, thanks." He smiled, then turned, suddenly acting like he didn't know her.

When the door shut, Olivia was left standing there like an idiot. She watched him approach the secretary and ask her about class schedules, as her eyes narrowed. What a jerk! Using her like that.

"See you later, Nikita." She muttered to herself right before the bell. Liv sighed. She guessed it would have had to happen at one point. Him and her, friends? Hah, good one. He'd only needed her for directions, and then she was history. Typical.

Hurriedly, she walked to her locker and opened it. Olivia grabbed her books and her binder, taking a pencil and holding it between her teeth, then she slammed the door closed, locked it, and rushed off to English. She loved English, especially since at that moment in the semester they were working on independent creative writing. She had a solid hour and fifteen minutes to write whatever she wanted. Of course, by now, she was finished writing and in the process of editing the story. Editing was such a tiresome task and she hated it, but she did it anyways. Her story wasn't very complex, but many people seemed to have a difficulty understanding the concept. Probably because it talked about defying the set rules of sameness.

Finally, she arrived at the class, and breathed a sigh of relief hearing the final bell ring as she sat in her designated desk. She'd been lucky enough to get one at the back of the room by the window. Of course, she paid strict attention to her teacher, but whenever they had free time and Olivia was finished all her work, she often stared out the window, day dreaming about random and unimportant things.  
Olivia opened her binder and spat out her pencil, then got to work. The teacher didn't bother talking to the class, and just let the students do their own work. Liv read through the first two pages, the only two she'd corrected so far, then continued on to page three and four.

The class went by quickly, and she managed to edit all the way up to the first sentence of page five. When the bell rang, she closed her binder, leaving her pencil inside, zipped it up and marched back to her locker. She dropped off her English books and instead grabbed her chemistry books, belonging to the one class she was much less enthusiastic about.

Olivia let her hair out, feeling the elastic slipping out of place, and then headed off to class. When she entered the room, she nearly stopped right in the doorway and turned around and ran away. Nikita was there, sitting in the class. He saw her too, and his mouth turned up in one corner, into a smug little smile. The class was already full (how slow was she walking today?) and the only seat left was, of course, next to him. She scurried around the teacher who was staring at her in disapproval, and plopped into the chair next to Nick.

"Hey stranger, long time no see." He spoke smoothly, his voice barely that of a whisper.

Olivia didn't reply, still a bit embarrassed for being late and a bit mad at him for the way he'd treated her.

The teacher started droning on about the project they would have to do. Olivia prayed it would be an individual project. Wish denied. He finally announced it would be done in partners. She then hoped they would be able to choose their partners. Nope. He said whoever you were currently beside would be your partner. The project was due in two weeks.

Nikita smiled. The subject was simple: measuring enzyme activity. He tuned out as the teacher started to explain, and focused, once again, on Olivia. She seemed upset by something. What could possibly be wrong?

He pursed his lips, wondering why she was acting so strangely. She avoided eye contact just as she had that morning.

"Yeast contains an enzyme, called catalase, that acts as a catalyst for the reaction that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water…." He heard the teacher in the background.

"Hey, you okay?" he whispered, nudging her gently with his elbow.

Olivia neatly dodged the nudge. "I'm fine." She whispered back.

This teacher had always been so oblivious to people talking while he was talking.

"You don't seem fine…"

"I said I'm fine…" she spoke quietly between her teeth.

"You seem upset."

"Shut up, Nikita!" she said harshly, still keeping her voice low.

Okay, so _he_ was the problem.

"What did I say? Did I do something wrong?" It had been so long since he'd interacted with humans, he worried maybe he'd forgotten how to do it altogether.

"You're a jerk." she snapped.

"Well, I may be a jerk… at times, but I'm also your lab partner. You're stuck with me." he reminded her, a smirk returning.

"Your point?"

"I'm going to get an answer sometime."

"Oh? And what makes you so sure?"

He shrugged.

"You're impossible.." she muttered.

"That, I am." He almost started laughing... again.

"Oxygen is a highly reactive gas, adult supervision will be required for this project. Of course, you won't be constructing it in class… but be sure your parents are around. For your background research, be sure that you understand substrate, catalyst, reaction rate, catalase, enzyme saturation and protein denaturation. Use a solution of 3 H2O2 for the substrate then construct an apparatus that allows you to collect and measure the oxygen gas produced…" the teacher continued. Olivia made a mental note to forge her mom's signature for the proof of supervision sheet.

"Now, where shall we meet after school?" he asked when she didn't reply to his last comment.

"What?" she asked, facing him. It surprised her she'd actually gotten used to his striking appearance.

"After school, to work on the project?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, then shrugged. He was really getting on her nerves. Where did all her patience go? "Just meet me in the gym." bitterness seeped through every word.

"Which one?"

"The big one."

"Well, they're both big…"

Liv made a sound of disgust, Nikita chuckled.

"Alright, alright, the gym. That's good. It'll be empty, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"No reason." But there was a reason. A very important reason. Nikita figured that as long as he was going to protect this girl, she should know why. He wouldn't make her guess, he'd make it easy for her by saying it flat out. If she didn't believe him, well, then, he'll just have to prove it. And he couldn't do that with an audience.

"Did you get your class schedule?"

"Yep. And guess what?"

She sighed, she knew the answer, no doubt, but replied anyways. "What?"

"Same schedule as you. Well, except for gym. I got out of that one for the whole semester. Replaced it with a free block."

Olivia ignored the coincidence of the same schedule."What? How'd you do that?"

Nikita smirked. "My Secret. Anyways, same schedule as you."

Olivia decided not to bother, and instead replied to the 'same schedule' thing. Was this guy stalking her or something? "Really. What a shocker… wait, why weren't you in English, then?"

Nick shrugged. "I spent a good fifteen minutes with the guidance counselor getting her to make my schedule match yours. Then I figured I was already late, and there wasn't any point in disrupting the class. So, I skipped."

"Why would you do that?"

"Skip? I just told you, I--"

"No, " Liv interrupted."why would you hassle the counselor just to get the same classes as me?"

"Iunno." He slurred the three words into one

"That's ridiculous." Olivia shook her head.

"So is being mad at me for no reason." He grinned smugly.

"I have a reason." she snapped.

"You do, do you? Is it a reasonable reason?" he seemed amused.

"Maybe." she looked away.

"Maybe?"

"Not…" her cheeks burned.

Nikita stifled his chuckles. She was so entertaining, and her stubborn attitude only made her that much more interesting. "Well that's good. So I guess you aren't mad at me any more, are ya?"

"Guess not…" Olivia sighed.

The bell rang. Lunch, finally. Olivia smiled, as did Nikita. Only his smiled seemed to be suppressing a wide grin. She narrowed her eyes. She was missing something else.

"Where's your locker...?" she asked suspiciously, picking up her books and her binder and tucking them under her arm.

"Right next to my favorite person in the whole world." he replied, picking up his own belongings: the chemistry book and a pen.

"Aw, that's sweet, you've already made a new friend." her voice was bitingly sarcastic. She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, where is it?"

"I already told you."

"A name would be nice."

"Olivia Roberts." he smiled

"Guess I should've known… did you hassle the counselor for that, too?"

"Nope. I just got lucky." In fact, it was a miracle they'd believed he was actually enrolled at this school. After he flashed his smile a few times at the women handling his case, they were more than willing to get him a locker and class schedule and pretend he'd been accepted into the school. It was pitiful, actually.

"Interesting." The two were walking down the hall together, again, turning heads all over again.

They arrived at their lockers, and both turned to unlock them. Nikita had his open long before Olivia had even turned the lock to the first number. She didn't notice though, and this disappointed him. He was anxious to tell her. Well, they had the whole lunch; maybe he could tell her early…? No, too many witnesses. After school was safest.

"You hungry?" she asked him after closing her locker.

He couldn't help it this time, and threw his head back in laughter.


	5. five

"What's so funny?" Olivia demanded as they entered the cafeteria.

Nikita laughed a little bit more then shook his head, suddenly serious. "I'll tell you later.."

"Why not now?" she asked, sitting down in one of the chairs and looking up at him.

His face became much more serious as he sighed and sat beside her.  
"It isn't safe now…"

"What? Is the CIA secretly behind the corner?" she glanced around in mock suspicion.

Nikita shrugged. "Something like that."

She sighed and looked behind him, then grimaced.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned. He followed her gaze to a group of girls giggling and whispering and staring at him. Nikita cocked his head to one side, confused.  
"I don't see what's so wrong… They're only curious. I am rather fascinating." He smirked.

"No, it's just, that one with the dark brown hair, Sierra? We used to be best friends. Until high school. Then she completely stabbed my back and then soon after joined the cheer team." Olivia sighed. "She was the first of many."

"Why's that?"

"Well, high school changes people. I didn't find any interest in the groups, nor did I want to change my interests in order to fit in. That can set off a major riot in high school. Sameness is necessary, apparently."

"Wow."

"What?"

"The fact that you refused to change for acceptance… that's… wow." So that's why she was so much more intriguing than any other teenager he'd encountered. She had a sense of will power and dignity. That wasn't something you came by often in this world.

Olivia ignored his comments, brushing off the subject with a quiet sigh.  
"Well, I'm gonna go get something to eat. You sure you aren't hungry?" she asked, standing up.

Nikita nodded, biting his tongue to stifle his giggles. Olivia noticed this and arched an eyebrow curiously. He shook his head. "No, go ahead, I'll be fine."

She gave up and walked to the line up for the food. Today there was pizza and sandwiches. Her common sense said sandwich, veggie-special. While her desire said pizza, extra cheese. On her way to make her decision, she grabbed a bottle of raspberry flavored water. The lady behind the counter asked what she wanted, greeting her with a smile, unlike the grumpy frown she usually gave out. Olivia was one of the more polite customers, so her behavior stood out among the usual snobby teenagers.

"Uhm, I'll have a slice of cheese pizza, please." She finally chose.

"Big or small slice?"

"Small, please." She'd never had a huge appetite.

"Would you like some fries, dear?"

She considered it, and answered, "Sure."  
Just in case Nikita changed his mind.

Meanwhile Nikita was observing the teenagers around him. He heard that Sierra girl gossiping, most likely about him, as she threw flirtatious looks his way every now and then. Clearly, she'd noticed he was staring at her, although his look was bleak and unimpressed.  
While Olivia was gone, girls all around him were immediately interested. He was surprised that their natural human instincts weren't telling them to back off. Then again, this was New York. Danger was as common as a crack in the pavement, so their better judgment was clearly not up to average standards.  
He glanced to where Olivia was. At the moment she'd only grabbed a bottle of water and was talking to the lunch lady. It would be a solid ten minutes before she'd return, considering the line to pay for food.

Sierra seemed to realize this as well, as she stood and sauntered over to Nikita. Her girlfriends seemed to wish her luck, and he heard her sneer, "I don't need luck, look at me!"

How could Olivia have ever been best friends with such a… bitch?

She sat next to him, her bare, tan arms within reach of his.

"Hi, there." She greeted with a cutesy smile. She was twirling a strand of her dark brown hair between two fingers. "I'm Sierra."

Nikita turned to face her, his gaze bored. "Hi, I don't like you." Her eyes widened with shock. "Go away." He spat, his eyes dark and his face hard.

Sierra gathered her thoughts, and tried again. "Aw, you're cute when you're playing hard to get." She leaned closer towards him. "What's your name?"

Nikita blinked. Her face was an inch away from his, but he still didn't move. Until, that is, she was only a fragment of a centimetre away from pressing her lips to his.

Then, his cold hand shot up and he gently shoved her face back.

"Ew." He muttered simply. A grimace crept onto his face, making his nose wrinkle in disgust.

Sierra huffed and stood, scampering back to her friends.

Olivia had seen the scene from her place at the till. And she burst out laughing. He really wasn't like other guys. As far as she knew, every guy in the room at that moment wanted Sierra, and she guessed they envied and hated Nick all at the same time. Olivia had to keep herself from skipping back to Nikita. It was refreshing to see Sierra get her fair share of disappointment.

"That was quite the display." She grinned, sitting next to him.

"What? Oh, that. Well, she didn't smell all that good. And her attitude was very irritating."

"She didn't…. smell good?" Olivia questioned.

Nikita glanced back at Sierra. She was eating Chinese food. He couldn't tell Liv the real definition of what he meant. "She was eating Chinese food. I hate Chinese food." His nose wrinkled in distaste once again. Olivia giggled.

She wasn't eating her food, and Nikita grew worried. "Aren't you eating?" he hoped she had better sense than to starve herself… better sense than him.

"Oh, the pizza's still hot. I'm waiting for it to cool down." She explained, opening her bottle of water. She took a long sip, in need of some moisture. Her throat was getting dry from all this talking. When was the last time she'd kept a conversation with someone going as long as she had with Nikita?

A couple moments passed in silence, but Olivia didn't mind. With Nick, it didn't seem at all necessary to keep up a conversation. It seemed like they both enjoyed each other's company, even if sometimes he was pretty annoying.

She finally picked up her pizza and took a big bite, then munched on a fry. Nikita seemed relieved to see her eat.

For a while they discussed the science project. Nikita understood it thoroughly, so he explained some of the parts that Olivia didn't quite know. Then they discussed their hobbies. Olivia failed to notice that Nikita barely spoke on that category, merely saying he liked to draw. When she asked him what he liked to draw, he shrugged and said, "Whatever."

Then he asked her about her own hobbies. She told him of her dancing and singing, and her reading and writing. Unusual hobbies for a sixteen year old. Most teenagers enjoyed staying up late, driving, drinking, smoking cigarettes and whatever else they could find. At least in New York, that's how it was.  
They talked, Olivia ate and they talked some more, all the way until the bell rang. They stood, and Olivia tossed her paper plate into the trash can.

"Off to French?" Nikita asked, as if making sure he'd gotten the order of her schedule right.

"Correct." Liv approved, then she noticed he was staring at her intensely. "What?"

"Your eyes." he mumbled in a whisper.

"Er… what about them?" she took a step away from him.

He laughed, his intensity vanishing. "Hm, you know, I think I'm gonna start calling you Olive. Your eyes are green, and your name's Olivia… seems to work."

"What the hell, Nick." Olivia rolled her eyes and started to leave.

"So, Olive, you any good at French?" Nikita was close behind her.

Olivia whipped around and shot him a hard look. "Firstly, my name is Olivia and secondly I've been in French since I was five."

Nikita held up his hands apologetically. "Fine, fine, Olivia. So I take that as a yes?" They reached their lockers. Both opened them in unison.

"Sure, I guess." She shrugged and grabbed her books and binder. "I like French, I just hate the teacher."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He's a moron." She nodded, closing her locker door then walking down the stairs.

Nikita laughed at her bitterness on the subject, not bothering to ask any further questions.

The day went by quickly. In French they worked on pronunciation (as if Olivia needed that), and Liv was surprised to see that Nick was even more fluent than the teacher.

In gym, well, it was gym. They separated the girls and the boys. The girls went to the track and ran a couple laps while the guys went up to the weight room to pump some iron.

During that time, Nikita was sprawled across a bench in the courtyard, considering how he'd tell Olivia. It wouldn't be easy… but he was giddy over it. He'd finally have someone he could tell his problems to… and it would be almost like she was his own kind, without any scent. He could starve himself for weeks and never have to worry about hurting her or wanting to hurt her.

So far, she seemed rather passive to violence. Sure, nothing too horrible had happened, but just the way she was… so laid back, intelligent, had a similar sense of humor as his own, she was pretty but not vain…

The final bell rang and he leaped up. Alright, it was time.


	6. six

Olivia wasn't a big sweaty mess by the end of the day, so she didn't bother showering

Olivia wasn't a big sweaty mess by the end of the day, so she didn't bother showering. Sure, she was bit sweaty, but nothing a bit of deodorant couldn't fix. She changed quickly from her gym strip to her previous attire then threw her hair up into a high ponytail She gathered her things then left the change room, still busy with chattering girls. Several of them gave her dirty looks on her way out, still disturbed by the fact that she was who Nikita chose over Sierra. But she ignored them, too happy to really care. Her excitement to see Nikita again really shouldn't have been as strong as it was, but every moment with him was... incredible. Again, not in a romantic way.

The exit to the change room ended her up in the hallway, so she turned the corner and found the gym doors. She walked in, checking to make sure no one was there, and closed the door behind her. Only one set of lights were on, since the gym wasn't going to be occupied by any sports team that night, but she could see his silhouette perfectly in the darkness.

"Nick!" she called out, and found herself smiling as she ran towards him.

Nikita heard his name called, and he turned to see Olivia running towards him. He smiled, his bright teeth reflecting the dim light surrounding them as he opened his arms.

Without thinking, Olivia ran into them. It was amazing how close they'd grown… in what? A day? Not even, actually. She just felt so safe around him, like she knew no harm would ever come to her as long as he was around. He… he was becoming her best friend. Or rather, more appropriately, her only real friend.

Nikita held her for only a moment before releasing her. And Olivia didn't really object. He was so cold! Goosebumps rose on her arms as she pulled away, and she shivered.

"Where were you, Antarctica?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Nikita chuckled. "No... but... there is a reason for why I'm so cold."

"Is there really?"

"And it's the same reason why I didn't want to eat lunch today, and why I laughed when you asked if I was hungry. It will also explain why I was reading that book this morning, and why the chemistry project is no surprise to me and also why I'm so fluent in French. Not to mention why I'm fluent in Latin, Italian and old English vocabulary. And, it will explain last night much more clearly."

He was brining up that last night thing again, and what could possibly explain all those odd things…? What was going on? Olivia frowned, then grabbed his wrist. She dragged him to the bleachers and sat him down, and then she sat next to him.

"Explain." She ordered, facing him with her elbows resting on her knees and her chin cupped in her hands.

Nikita took a deep breath and looked her directly in the eye. With a serious voice, he said it. Plain and simple, "I'm a vampire."

Olivia laughed. She was gasping for air as she laughed and her eyes got watery. That was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard.

Nikita frowned, but waited patiently for her to finish.

"Wow, you're hilarious." she finally said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious, Olivia."

"Sure you are." She mocked him with a smile.

"Would you like proof?"

"And how are you going to prove it? You gonna suck my blood? Huh?" she laughed again.

Nikita sighed. "Don't get scared, okay? I won't hurt you, I promise." he closed his eyes. Olivia realized immediately that he really wasn't kidding, and she started getting a bit frightened.

"Why would you—" She didn't get the chance to finish, because suddenly, she was flying through the air.

Her eyes widened, and she saw Nikita was still in front of her, his hand gripped around her throat. The wind whipped by her and he shoved her into the far wall, on the other side of the gym from where the bleachers had been, her head hitting it painfully. Of course, he did this all gently. His version of gentle, at least. There wouldn't be any damage, he would never do anything to harm her, ever. His hand loosened slightly around her neck so she could breathe, but he didn't let her go. He was pinning her against the wall, holding her high enough so her feet couldn't touch the ground. He pulled her up so she was face to face with him.

"Do you believe me now, Olivia?" he said it in a flat, sharp tone. It was menacing, but nowhere near as frightening as it could be. He was being nice to her. There was venom in his voice as he spat the words, but he said them so calmly, so smoothly. They were barely a whisper, so quiet only Olivia could hear. She grimaced, feeling an ache in her head and hearing ringing in her ears.

"Ugh… I think you gave me whiplash…." She mumbled.

Nikita chuckled, letting her drop. But her feet didn't hit the ground, and she looked up to see he'd caught her in his arms.

"How'd you….?"

"As a vampire, I have immense speed and strength." He explained. "Close your eyes."

She did as she was told, shutting her eyes.

"Open." When she opened them, after not even two seconds of having them closed, she saw that they were already at the bleachers. Carefully, he set her down.

"I'll explain it all, as long as you don't interrupt." He raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. Olivia nodded.

"Good." He took a deep breath, and then started. He wasn't going to hold back any secrets; she was going to get the whole, ugly truth. His voice came out a bit rushed. "I am four hundred and seventy four years old, as far as a bloodsucker. As far as a human, I'm eighteen. My story to how I became this way… is… complicated. I can tell you more about that later. I don't eat, because eating your type of food is like eating cardboard. Not particularly appetizing, but it is possible to keep up our facade." Nikita saw her confused face, and answered her unspoken question.

"My kind roams this earth on a day to day basis. Sometimes hiding, but mostly we pretend that we're human. There are two types: vegetarian and monster. Well, that's how I categorize it. Vegetarians feed on animal blood while monsters… well, you get it. Don't worry, I'm a vegetarian so I can assure you I will never cause you or anyone in this school, or even state, any harm. But the strange thing is…. Wait, I'll get to that later.

"Onto the school thing. I've repeated high school six times, and this would be my seventh. Chemistry is easy the second time around, and then the third it becomes second nature. The fourth, fifth and sixth time, it gets boring and then even annoying.

"I was born in Italy, approximately a thousand or so years after the fall of Rome, in 1533. Growing up, I learned Latin and early Italian. After my… change, I moved to London for a while, the fog being good for no sun, which I needed. There I learned good, old-fashioned English. After that, I moved to Paris, France. Where, as you can already guess, I learned French. I have learned several other languages. Including Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish, Korean… the works. I'm just not fluent in any of them, yet. " Nikita paused, taking in her expression. Her almond-shaped green eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging down in a dumb expression. He laughed and reached up. Placing his index finger below her chin, he pushed it up.  
"You can relax." He promised her.

"But… but… you're a vampire?!" her voice broke, her surprise taking an obvious effect.

"Yes."

"So that's why you're so cold?"

"Yes."

"What happens when you go out in the sun? Do you die? Can you turn into a bat? Do you sleep in a coffin?" she stammered, stumbling over each question with the next one.

Nikita reached and squished both her cheeks together. "Shut up, I'll answer all your questions later." He smiled, to let her know he wasn't being mean.  
"Continuing on. Last night."

Olivia straightened up, instantly alert. Finally, the real explanation!

"I hadn't fed for a month. I guess I was testing myself, to see how long I could actually last without it. But I was weak and vulnerable, and out of my mind with thirst. I didn't even have the energy to stand. Until I heard you walking down the street. I froze, and freaked. I could feel the wind picking up, so I stopped breathing." he shrugged and looked at her, giving her the permission to speak.

"You stopped… breathing?" Olivia couldn't believe she was hearing all of this. And she couldn't believe that she believed it, too.

"Breathing isn't necessary for us, and I tried to prevent myself from finding your scent. I knew it wouldn't help, but I took every precaution I could. But, your scent never came. It was odd. Curiosity had always gotten the best of me, and so I found some small amount of energy and went to investigate. I thought maybe I'd imagined the sound of your arrival, but you were there. I got closer, trying to find your scent, but there never was one. So I spoke to you and--"

"Wait, so you _were_ smelling me?" Olivia interrupted. She was breathless, this was all too much… It was like a dream.

Nikita nodded. "Yes, but now, what did I say about interrupting?"

"Sorry."

"Thank you. Continuing on, I was very frustrated and so I smelled you. I tried to make it discrete, although I kind of suck at that, don't I?" he asked rhetorically. "Anyhow, you dropped your bus pass and ID card after you'd run off. Of course I didn't want to take the chance of being so thirsty around you again, so I took off and fed quickly. A couple deer, just so I wasn't parched. It didn't fill me up, but it got rid of my need just fine.

"Then, with the help of a phone book, I found your house in under an hour. Yes, I lied about being new here, and I lied about living on your street."  
Olivia nodded, Nikita continued. He was surprised she wasn't screaming and running away, yet.

"This morning, in the library, I was looking for a book on vampires. I found it, and I searched viciously for something about no scent. I found that, too, in the section of complications. You see, your blood, to me, at least, is like water. Odorless. I can't smell it. To any other vampire, it smells just like any other blood… or better. So, I'm here to protect you. You aren't something, or someone, rather, that comes along everyday. You are something special, considered as something precious in my demonic little world.

"If you'd rather me not, I'll stay well out of your sight and mind, but I won't leave you. I'm going to protect you and fight off anything that tries to harm you. No matter what. Nothing will ever hurt you. I promise." He said it all in a final tone. He wasn't budging. She was all he had now. As a friend, and even family. He wasn't in need of a lover… since he'd never had any great interest in lust or romance. It was one life experience he could live without. Not to mention the only person he'd ever really, truly cared for... well, it was complicated.

Olivia took a deep breath and stared him right in the eyes. "Okay, I believe you." came her shaky voice. He was more unbelievably than she ever would have guessed.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes."

Nikita grinned and pulled her off the bleachers. He hugged her securely in his arms, then set her down gently. Her legs wobbled. "Feeling a bit faint?" he asked.

She nodded. "A bit too much info… but I'm glad you told me… I was starting to question why were you so incredible."

Nikita laughed. "You want me to carry you?" he asked, holding out his arms.

Before Olivia could even agree or disagree, she closed her eyes and started to fall. Nikita caught her with ease, scooping her up into his arms and then left the school. He walked slow (for him) back to his place, while anyone watching stared in disbelief. Sierra saw him carrying Olivia and scowled. Nikita had to stifle his laughter. Olivia was fully conscious, but she was mentally drained. She was still slowly processing everything he'd told her, but she wasn't afraid. She trusted him, more than she'd ever trusted anyone in her life.

"I do have some questions though…" she mumbled, opening her eyes slightly.

"Don't worry, Liv. You can ask me whatever you want when we get back to your house. We've got all the time in the world." Nick answered cheerfully. It felt good to have someone to talk to, someone with a heart.

"By the way…"

"Yes?"

She winced. Her head still hurt. "I never thanked you for the whiplash." Came her reply, thick with sarcasm.

Nikita chuckled. He rolled up the sleeve of his dark blue dress shirt and let her head rest on his icy cold arm. "Better?"

"Much." She smiled, feeling the cold as it eased the pain in her neck and head.


	7. seven

At Olivia's house, Nikita set her down on her bed, and she fell asleep within moments. He was surprised. It was like she'd repressed all the fear, or any temptation to scream and run, only to exhaust her mind. He stared at her for a while, content with knowing she knew everything about him now, and she always would. She was the one person he could be truly honest with.

He then went to her kitchen. There had to be some sort of comfort food in here… He searched every cupboard, dug through every drawer, but found nothing he could even consider as human comfort food. In the end all he had was a couple packets of tea leaves and a few graham crackers. That would have to do. He pulled out the kettle and put the crackers on a plate. As he boiled the water, Nick hopped up onto the counter and waited.

He must have fazed out, because Olivia's voice startled him.

She was standing in the doorway, her beautiful green eyes wide with shock.  
"Nikita?!" she said, surprised. "Why… why are you in my house?"

Nick furrowed his brow. Great, now she was delirious. Maybe he shouldn't have told her…  
"I walked you home, but you fell asleep. So I put you in bed…" he slid off the counter and approached her slowly.

Olivia relaxed her posture a bit. "I thought that was all a dream…" she mumbled.

Nikita laughed. "Nope." He grinned.

"And in the gym…?"

"That was real, too." He nodded, taking in her expression. It didn't seem to change; she just seemed a bit out of it, thinking it was a dream. Not at all afraid…

"So you're….?" She didn't finish her sentence, a bit afraid of saying the word.

Nikita nodded, knowing exactly what she wanted to ask. "Yes, I am."

"Hm." was all she said, sitting down.

Nikita watched her for a moment, then heard the kettle whistling. Quickly, so fast Olivia barely had time to recognize what it was he was doing, he poured the hot water into a mug and stuck a tea bag inside. He stirred it a bit then let it soak. Once the flavor of the leaves was all throughout the water, he handed her the mug and then the plate of graham crackers.

"Oh, thank you." Olivia smiled. She nibbled on the end of one cracker.

Nick sat down next to her.  
"You said you had questions…" he reminded her.

The girl's head snapped up and she nodded enthusiastically. "Right." She remembered, and then they bubbled in her throat all over again. But she controlled her questionings this time.

Nikita chuckled under his breath. "Slowly, Olivia. Don't rush. We've got all the time you need."

She looked at him, grateful he was so patient, and nodded with a smile. "Okay…. The sunlight thing… you said you went to London to avoid the sun… what happens to you in the sun?"

Nikita chose his words carefully. He wouldn't shield her from the truth by lying or sugar coating it, but he wouldn't say it flat out again like he had in the gym. If he wasn't careful, he might say the wrong thing and she could get hurt…

"In the sun, we don't get hurt. But we become much more…obvious."

"How so?" she was excruciatingly curious.

"Well, it's hard to explain…" he glanced out the window. The sun was already setting. "I could show you tomorrow morning. Only for a small while, I can't risk anyone else seeing."

"Tomorrow." Olivia agreed. "Now… I know all my questions are probably going to sound juvenile and silly."

"Probably." Nikita agreed with a laugh.

"But I guess I should ask them anyhow." She took a deep breath, followed by a long sip of tea. "Sleeping in coffins?"

"Nah. We don't sleep at all, actually."

"Not at all?"

"No."

"Hm… well, then, continuing on, can you turn into a bat?"

Nikita roared with laughter. "No, definitely not." He said when he'd regained himself.

Olivia blushed at his reply to her question, feeling stupid, but continued. "Fangs?"

Nick smiled widely. "Can you see any?"

"No."

"There's your answer."

Olivia finished off a graham cracker, and sipped her tea again. She didn't ask any other questions, so Nikita filled in the silence. He rested his chin on the table and looked up at her.

"Olivia?"

"Yes?" she answered quietly into her mug.

"Did you mean it when you said you wanted me to stay?"

"Of course." She looked up, worried.

"And you don't mind that I'm dragging you into this secret, damned world of mine, only to damn you myself?"

"You said it was my choice. I don't really care, to be honest…." She trailed off.

Nikita scoffed. "Don't care…" he muttered.

"Yes, I don't care." She stared at him blankly.

He smiled. This was just a plus, the way she could still look at him as if he were indeed human. However, he changed the subject.  
"Do you live on your own?"

"No… well, yes, but no. My mother kind of lives here, too."

"Kind of?"

"I don't really know anymore. She says she works downtown, and has to stay late a lot of the time. So, instead of wasting money and gas to drive all the way back here just to sleep, she claims she stays at a nearby motel or something. That's all she's ever told me. The last time she was home was… September, I think. She comes by to pay all the bills then leaves again. So I'm pretty much on my own." She shrugged, and then sighed.

Nick's eyes narrowed. September? It was already the first week of November! She hadn't been home fore two months? Leaving her daughter alone, to fend for herself? That's horrible! It was inexcusable! Nick, internally, was fuming. What a selfish person… Oh, if Nick could have a few words with her…

He kept these questions and remarks to himself, not wanting to be rude. He figured if she wanted to talk about it, she would.

"What about your father?" he asked carefully.

Olivia looked up, and answered by simply shaking her head, then went back to staring at her tea. Nikita nodded, understanding completely.

Olivia's father had never been around. Ever. Not for her birth, not for her birthdays… nothing. She'd never heard from him, and didn't even know his name. After doing some digging in her mother's room, around the time when Olivia was nine or ten, she'd found a letter from someone.  
It had read:

_'Dearest Sharon,_

_I apologize, once more, for leaving you while you had been pregnant. During our last meeting in June, I felt horrible. You told me all about Olivia, our daughter, and how much she'd grown. You begged for me back… I declined. I'm sorry, but I can't come into your life. I already have my own wife and kids… It would only mess everything up. You do know I love you, and I love Olivia, although I've never even met her.  
But now, you said that because of the stress of your job, you were getting into substances. Certain substances that frighten me to no end. You have to stop, for me and for the sake of your child! I won't ask you again, and I promise this is the last letter I will write._

_Sincerely,'_

And then there had been a signature too complicated to decipher the name written. From the date written on the letter, Liv guessed the letter had been written around when she was five or six,  
At the time, she had no idea what the 'substances' were, but now she understood completely. She was just in denial.

Olivia bit her lower lip, feeling it tremble. Admitting these things to anyone had always been difficult, even if she hadn't fully admitted it. She closed her eyes, feeling the moisture building up. Nikita frowned and opened his arms to comfort her.  
Olivia shook her head. She preferred being alone when she cried, but this time, she was surprised she wasn't running off to her room the way she usually did.

Nick sighed, and suddenly Liv found herself in his arms, cradled against his chest. She sobbed into his shirt while he rubbed her back and tried to soothe her. Although this might have seemed like an intimate situation to any other, to Nikita it felt like he was soothing his baby sister, or his best friend. And to Olivia it felt the same, like her overprotective big brother was trying to make her feel better or her best friend was begging her to stop crying.

Olivia looked up at him finally, her eyes red and sore and puffy, her cheeks wet and stained. "I don't think she's coming back…" she mumbled, and the tears continued. She muffled them by burying her face into his stone shoulder.

Nikita understood what she meant. He glanced at the stack of envelopes on one of the chairs. The bills that Olivia's mother still needed to pay. If she didn't come home to take care of them, Olivia would end up rid of her home, or in a shelter or forced to live with a new family, a foster family… Seems he'd found her just in time. He hated for anything horrible to happen to her, and so he would protect her from everything. Including her mother's…. absence.

"Shh…" was all he could say at the moment as she cried, her tears soaking into his shirt.


	8. eight

For two weeks following the day when Nikita had explained to Olivia what he really was, he continued to walk her to school, to go to every single one of her classes (excluding gym) and continued to explain in full detail everything about his life.

The morning after he'd held her until she cried herself to sleep, he demonstrated the sunlight factor, as promised.

Olivia stood in the center of her lawn in her back yard, the sunlight reflecting brightly off of her blond strands.

"Well? You going to show me or not?" she asked, beckoning him to come.

Nikita sighed and stepped out. The sunlight hit his skin and Liv squinted as his granite turned to crystal, making him sparkle. As if every skin cell had magically transformed into a tiny diamond. It was unlike anything she'd ever witnessed, or even dreamed. It was stuff like this that often made her think he wasn't real.

"Whoa…" she'd whispered, staring in disbelief at him. It was beautiful.

Nikita grinned, then stepped back into the shadows of her house. "That was long enough." He declared.

Olivia's face fell slightly, but she nodded. "Okay, off to hell we go." She said, grabbing her school bag. She glanced up at Nick, whose expression was filled with fear. "I meant school, Nick, relax." His face had softened and he'd laughed at himself, kind of embarrassed.

After the night before, where they'd both opened up and left each other equally vulnerable, they didn't keep many secrets. Sometimes they talked too much, other times they barely spoke at all. But it didn't matter. Their company was all they required for contentment. Although the life was twisted, it felt like it was right. Olivia no longer felt alone, or scared. She was still a bit surprised by how protective Nick really was of her.

In gym, on afternoon, she'd tripped on the track and fallen on her side. Nikita, within minutes, was by her side, helping her up. The teacher continuously asked her if she was alright, and she assured both of them she was fine. The teacher was finally convinced when Olivia stood on her own, without Nikita's arm snaked around her waist, hoisting her up. However, he wasn't convinced. He debated with the teacher, almost demanding she be taken to the nurse. Of course, he got his way. He always won when it came to arguments.

Then, as they were walking to the first aid room, a group of girls sneered, asking how her two left feet were. They all giggled, along with the guys tagging along with them. Nick almost flipped. He set Olivia safely down on the grass, but she just rolled her eyes and stood anyways, and unleashed his well practiced glare upon them. The girl cringed, while the guys laughed, cowering in mock fear. This only irritated Nikita further and he stormed up to the group of buys. They were burly, jock type, but he was needless to say still taller than all of them. Olivia had to strain to hear the venomous word he hissed at them, and she made out something along the lines of crushing their bones and so on. It still made her shudder to hear him talk so viciously, even to those who deserved it.

He never used any sort of menacing voice or tone or aura around her, since he wanted to protect her from everything, keeping her out of harms way. It was hard to get used to, having someone who loved you, who cared about your existence more than their own. Of course, he'd had to deal with his existence for three centuries; he claimed it was refreshing to have a different personality around.

Olivia's mother never returned, never called… nothing. So, Nikita took over for paying for the bills. Olivia said it wasn't necessary, but he argued by saying he had too much money anyways. Which was true, after a couple chundred years of working in whatever profession he wanted, it wasn't odd he'd made a few bucks. She couldn't argue with the money thing, but she didn't like him having to pay for the bills. She knew that even if she did have her way, and she paid for them, he'd only sneak money into her bank account. It was just something she could see him doing.

During the weeks that lead up to Christmas, Nikita explained everything else.

He told her about the Volturi, about werewolves and how he still strongly believed they were real, even if he'd never encountered one himself, he told her about everything. He didn't leave out a single detail, or at least, he tried not to. Every couple weeks, sometimes longer, Nikita would take off into the brush outside of New York to feed. He'd come back, the sharpness in his grey eyes gone, replaced with a soft and inviting tone. It was as if when he was thirsty, the grey got a bit lighter and more striking, as if it were frozen. Then, after he came back from his trips, they were soft and dark, as if drinking the blood of some creature melted the ice in his irises.

At Olivia's house, Nick had cleaned up her mother's room and made it his own. He got rid of the old bed and replaced it with a large brown sofa. He tore up the carpet, revealing a shiny wooden floor, much more to his taste. He'd painted the walls a dark, woodsy green and brought in his own stool and easel. Within days, he'd plastered his own drawings and paintings over the walls. He bought a fancy stereo to play his favorite music and, when Olivia stayed with him and watched him draw, to play Liv's favorite music.

At night, sometimes, if Olivia wasn't feeling so happy, Nikita would hitch her up onto his back and take her for a run. She adored feeling the wind on her face as they traveled faster than any human could be capable of. It always brought a smile to her face, because it made her feel so free and calm and as though nothing were wrong. Nick had that affect on her.

Of course, Nikita was still pretty irritating. His sarcastic humor and the way he often mocked her wasn't as charming as some might seem. If he really wanted to bug her, he'd call her Olive. She hated that.

One night, while Nikita said he was out hunting, Olivia decided to study for the chemistry test, coming up after the current winter break. Of course, she could just wait for Nick to return and he could be her study sheet for her, but he wasn't around so she just read a few of her notes over and over.

They'd gotten an A on their project, even though Olivia really hadn't done all that much. At one point, she completely forgot about it, and started freaking out. Nikita had just raised his eyebrows and explained he'd already finished it.

Anyways, as Olivia was studying, she heard the front door open. "Nick?" she called out, a bit afraid. She was always on edge whenever he wasn't there with her.

Then, sure enough, Nikita came around the corner with a paper bag hanging off his wrist, while he was carrying a tree. A Christmas tree.

"What the hell is that" she exclaimed, a mix of horror and surprise on her face.

Nick set the tree in a corner and looked at her confused. "It's a Christmas tree. It's December twenty third, Olivia."

Olivia's expression didn't changed. "But I haven't celebrated Christmas in two years!"

Nikita's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yes!" she said, her voice not lowering.

"Hm… well, you're celebrating it this year." He shrugged and reached for the bag. It was full of lights and ornaments.

"Uh, no, I'm not!" hysteria crept into her voice, raising the pitch noticeably.

Nikita ignored her, and quickly set up all the lights and started decorating the tree.

"Nick!" she almost yelled.

"What? What's so bad about celebrating Christmas?"

Olivia grit her teeth, refusing to answer.

Oh great, he'd hit another soft spot. He seemed to have a talent for that, despite his hatred for the knack. Although she was a bit oversensitive… but he liked that about her. Not many other girls her age were oversensitive, except about their boyfriends. Olivia cared about everything. He was only trying to fit in to her human lifestyle, and he thought Christmas was one of those special things... He dropped the bag full of ornaments, and his whole composure softened. His voice became smooth, instead of taunting.

"Liv? Come on, tell me."

"No, you'll think it's stupid." She mumbled, looking at her feet.

"Oh I doubt that." He grabbed her chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing her to look up. "Tell." He ordered quietly.

"Ugh, fine." Olivia squirmed away from him and sat down with her arms folded across her chest. "I don't want to celebrate Christmas…"

"Why not?" he encouraged, kneeling beside the chair.

She avoided looking at him.  
"You should know why..." she muttered.

Nick cocked his head to one side, still clearly confused. It took a while, during the silence where neither of them said anything, for it to click. It was ridiculously silly of him to not have considered maybe Christmas was a touchy subject for her, because of her mother. He should have known, he should have asked her. Typical of him to make the situation worse.

Nikita shook his head. "I'm sorry Liv, I'll get rid of the tree right now." He stood and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you." She said, still not looking at him. She was so sensitive. It was stupid. He'd tried to do something special for her and she'd thrown a fit over it. She sighed, relaxing as the tree was pulled out of sight, along with the ornaments. She felt bad now, despite her relief. She knew now that Nick would be beating himself up for his ignorance or whatever. He'd find some way to blame it on himself.

He was back beside her a few moments later, stroking her hair, "Liv, do you need help studying?"

She nodded.

He smiled; glad he was forgiven, and started asking her questions without bothering to look at the study sheets. She answered back dully, not at all interested. Her answers were right pretty much all throughout the fifteen minutes he questioned her. Nikita wondered if he should leave her alone. He clearly hadn't helped her very much that day. He screwed up a lot of things around her, still getting used to human life all over again. He was often selfish in forgetting the necessity of her sleep and food, taking her for himself so they could talk about whatever. It wasn't until she yawned or he heard her stomach grumble that he realized she was in need of something more than just his company.

A week after the tree incident, and a day before the New Year, They started talking once again about the demonic world Nikita lived in and Olivia was being introduced to. They'd always talked about it, but while she and him were on the couch one evening, she got serious. It was no longer just casual conversation. She still had several curiosities and millions of questions. But there was still one thing he'd never explained, and she wanted the story.

"Nick, you know, you never did tell me how you were changed…" she said one day while they were both sitting on his couch, him drawing her out of boredom in a sketchbook which was balanced on his lap.

Nikita sighed and looked up, closing the sketchbook. "It's a long story." He warned. A few times, he'd tried to avoid the story, but he knew she wouldn't stop asking until she got the answer. He figured that now was probably a good time, with them alone in her house, no worries and no responsibilities. It was just right for him to tell her the story, even if it wasn't his favorite.

Olivia shrugged. "I've got time."

Nikita nodded, leaning forward to tell her.


	9. nine

Nikita sighed. "Alright… where should I begin…" he mumbled to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I guess the very beginning…" he sighed and inclined further towards Olivia. She did the same, and they both had identical expressions full of intensity. His soft grey eyes were narrowed onto hers, which were wide with interest.

"I was born in 1533," he chuckled slightly at Liv's short gasp. "January 5th, at precisely eight in the morning in Italy."

Olivia's jaw dropped. "You mean... in six days, you'll be…" she couldn't finish her sentence.

He smiled, reaching forward and pushing her jaw back up with one finger. "Yes, I will be four hundred and seventy five years old."

"Holy shit that's old." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nikita snorted. It wasn't often Olivia swore, but when she did she did it rather well. It was almost frightening when it came from such a petite girl.  
"Continuing, my mother, Elizabeth Noelle Landus, died giving birth to me. My father, Georges Thomas Landus, told me stories of her often. He would laugh and cry and the majority of the stories he never finished… he only grew very quiet before excusing himself and leaving the room.  
I was generally a quiet child, though I did not do well in my studies. At school, I would much rather doodle on the chalkboard rather than solve equations or perfect my grammar. Of course I was given the greatest opportunity to make up for those missed lessons…" he scoffed bitterly.

"Fast forward a bit," Olivia's face fell when he said that, and he smirked. She always hated it when he skipped anything in his stories. " to the beginning of my career. It was rather short lived, as was I. At the age of eighteen I'd accomplished becoming a psychiatric aid."

"A shrink?" Live raised one eyebrow, Nikita nodded. He could tell she was trying to point out the irony.

"My father tried to get me to marry several women, but I always openly refused. Marriage had never really appeased me, anyhow. Besides, the women in my town were so dull and boring…" Nick grimaced, Olivia giggled.

"One night, however, there was news that a foreigner was entering from Germany. There weren't many details, other than the fact that it was a woman.

I was working later than usual that evening, since one of my clients had been extremely paranoid about the newcomer. Calling her cold and 'hunter of humans'. I told her constantly she was exaggerating and she eventually went home, though still shaken. As I cleaned up my desk, there was a knock on the door. I said for whoever it was to enter, in case it was my client, come back for even more consoling."

Olivia suddenly interrupted, "Who was your client?"

Nikita shrugged with a small bit of a frown. "Her name was Maria Manchester. She had severe anxiety issues and was extremely superstitious. I remember once she found a wart on her finger and accused herself of being a witch. It took a lot of convincing to prevent her from burning herself alive. Although, I definitely do not blame her for being nervous about the foreigner… well, not now at least."

Olivia nodded slowly, and Nick continued.

"Anyhow, it wasn't her. It was, in fact, the stranger. She stood in my doorway, an image of magnificence and perfection to any human's eyes, and smiled. Her hair was a deep chestnut brown and her eyes were a bright crimson that burned right through me. She was lean, but with evident curves. I was in awe, quite obviously, standing there and gawking like a moron at her. She was, at the times, the most extravagant and beautiful woman I had ever seen.

'Why, hello there.' She said to me. Her voice was thick with a German accent, though, even with the sharp edges in such a language, it was smooth as silk. It just flowed so evenly and lovely from her full lips. I could only blink. She then approached me, her movements swift and graceful. They were much too quick, also, since before I knew it," Nikita pulled himself forward until his face was a mere inch from Olivia's.  
Her eyes grew wide and she froze "she was this close to my face." Nikita whispered. He grinned when he heard her heart accelerate immensely. He leaned back.

"Now, multiply that by a hundred."

"Why?" Olivia asked breathlessly and wide eyed.

"I'm a guy."

It took Olivia a while. But eventually her cheeks darkened. "Oh…"

Nikita chuckled, then continued.

"Well, things simply progressed from there. It went from her pouting and saying she needed someone to talk to, to me ripping off her corset while she lay on my desk. Her skin was so cold, so hard and smooth… like polished stone. Pretty soon, it was all happening too fast for me to grasp it. And then she gave me this wicked little devil of a smile. After that, I went blank. I do not remember the pain, only the screaming. She hid me far beneath the floor boards to prevent anyone from finding me. After three days, it all just… stopped. The pain ended, as did the screaming, and I was reborn. Re-introduced into the world as a monster, a bloodsucker, a leech… a Vampire." He spat the word with such venom that Olivia winced in response.

"The thirst was unbearable for a day or two. I forgot completely who I was and only wanted the blood. Incredulously, I was able to resist the temptation. Instead, I vowed to avenge my human death by finding that demon woman who changed me and destroy her."

"What was her name?" Olivia wondered.

"Katrina. She never did give me a last name."

"Hmm…" Olivia nodded, unable to respond.

"I found her a few weeks later, on her way to find her latest lover and newest victim. She stared at me with horror, clearly shocked to see me there, my eyes ablaze with the look of death and a permanent growl upon my face. She was within my reach, I could simply reach out and rip her to pieces…" he trailed off.

"And you did…" Olivia finished for him, her voice quivering.

She could barely imagine Nikita behaving so viciously. He always treated her with an insane amount of kindness, and she hardly ever saw him hiss or anything. He was sometimes too careful around her.

Nick had a wary, sheepish look upon his face as he pursed his lips. This was one of the reasons he didn't want to tell her that specific story or any stories similar to it. He hated for her to have that image of him in her head.  
"Olivia, I-"

"It's okay Nick." She held up a hand, stopping him.

"But Liv, you should just remember that that was four centuries ago. My temper is much more contained than it was back then. Besides, you know I'd never even think of hurting you."

Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically and threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up already."

Nick laughed, and picked up his sketchbook again. He took a long look at her, and then continued to work on his drawing of her.


	10. ten

She stirred in her sleep. Restlessly her body twisted this way and that in her bed. Her almost panicked movements wrapped her sheets tightly around her small figure and her flailing arms knocked several pillows to the ground. Nikita watched cautiously, even helplessly, from the chair he'd placed in the empty corner in her room. Olivia began to mumble something over and over, and Nick caught a couple words. No wonder she was tossing and turning. Her voice began to grow more frantic and louder.

Finally she shot up and cried, "Mom!" before she gasped, choking on suppressed tears. Olivia brought her knees to her chest and hugged them while Nick, who was already up and sitting on her bed, immediately wrapped his cold arms around her shaking shoulders.

"It's okay, Liv, I'm here." He murmured sweetly in her ear.

She seemed to almost recoil from him, but her need for comfort overpowered her want for solitude. Liv looked up at him, her green eyes pink and puffy. She sniffed a few times, preparing herself for speech.

"She… she's gone… gone…" she managed to sputter.

He simply nodded, not needing any further explanation. This had been happening a lot lately, but this, he assumed, was the last episode. She, somehow, must have known her almost invisible mother was getting into something serious. That she was getting into some sort of trouble, trouble that threatened the sad life she was leading. And Olivia had suffered inescapable nightmares that consumed her every thought while she slept, only to wake in tears.

It was the middle of August by now. The nights warm and dry, the days sunny and cheerful. It was a lovely month, although it saddened Olivia greatly that she was unable to share it with Nikita, the sunlight being a large obstacle. So, instead of them both taking walks beneath the beautiful sun, he would sit in the cool of the shade on her back porch while she relaxed and sunbathed on the lawn. It was calm, for them both. Now, they didn't even need conversation. Sure, Nikita hadn't shared everything with her and nor Olivia with him. But they knew it would all happen in due time, that every secret would be shared, every story told and every lie confessed.

A month earlier, July, it had been swelteringly hot. Olivia spent hours curled up next to Nikita, absorbing his refreshing cool temperature. During this time, he would usually tell her more and more about himself, which she greedily asked for. In return, of course, he would demand she informed him just as much of herself. On occasion, he wouldn't even ask for information and instead request a song. He would go to his stereo and give her a familiar piano instrumental or a song with lyrics; one that he loved. The two would sit on the couch together, and Olivia would sing to him. Once, he'd rested his head in her lap and closed his eyes while she sang 'Goodbye to You' by Michelle Branch, Olivia had amused herself by playing with his hair. She wound her fingers around them and made tiny little braids out of the longer pieces. It was actually a hard task, since his hair was always such a tangled mess.  
By the end of the song, there were half a dozen braids in his hair. She thought it was a hysterical sight and kept giggling. Nikita enjoyed her laughter and so he left the braids where they were for the rest of the day.

On July thirty first, Olivia celebrated her seventeenth birthday. Nikita bought her a car, of course. It was a bit flashy for her personal taste, but couldn't deny the fact that it was gorgeous and that she loved it. Nick had originally planned on a silver BMW, but couldn't quite picture Liv driving it. Instead, he found a white Mazda RX8 and got all the windows tinted the darkest possible.  
She became the envy of any student who could drive at her school, especially Sierra. She was still pouting about the fact that Nick had chosen Olivia over her.

For Nikita's birthday, way back in January, Olivia had no idea to what she should buy him. She finally caved and asked.  
He'd shrugged. "Nothing."  
"Oh come on." Olivia persisted.  
"I don't need anything… so, nothing."

In the end, she simply went out one afternoon while he was hunting and bought him a chalk and charcoal set. She tried to find the most expensive one possible, wanting to give him the best she could.  
He loved it, but then again, he loved anything and everything Olivia got for him. She also gave him the permission to call her 'Olive' for the rest of that day. That was probably his favorite gift.

Ever since Olivia had begun hanging around Nikita, boys in her school were a lot more interested in her. They often stared when she walked down the halls, sometimes even smiled and winked at her. This, usually, only freaked her out and made her hurry off to class. Guys had never been something necessary for her, they were just… there. Sure, she noticed them, but never chased them. Nor did she invite them to chase her.

Anyways, they wanted to know her name, were curious about her and her marital status.  
They never approached her, since Nikita refused to leave her side. It wasn't until February 14th, the legendary Valentines Day, arrived, that someone gathered up enough courage.  
Gregory Matthews, one of the most recognized students in her high school. He had blond hair and brown eyes, loved cars and was insanely obnoxious. He might have adapted that attitude once he'd been crowned quarterback of their national winning football team, but one could never be sure he didn't always have the self-centered way of thinking. Not to mention he had undoubtedly a talent in the flirting department and had a reputation of moving way too fast. This boy was the one who finally decided to act on the obsession almost every guy had developed: Olivia Roberts.

Nikita had been, at the time, talking to a teacher, so Liv was free. Just as she was closing her locker, he approached her. Olivia wasn't blind, she knew Greg was good looking and she couldn't help but admit that. He wasn't beautiful, the category she put Nikita under, but he was attractive. He had a good tan and a decent amount of muscle, though it almost made her giggle when she compared his strength to that of her best friend's. Plus, he dressed nicely, with a navy polo shirt and dark jeans.

"Hey, Olivia?" He greeted casually.

"Yes?" she replied with a friendly, welcoming smile. _Why is he talking to me?_ she wondered, _Since when does he socialize with nobodies…?_

Greg smiled a heartbreaking smile and leaned up against the wall of lockers.  
"You going out with that Nick kid?" he asked, seeming to spit Nikita's name with strong distaste.

Olivia laughed, and covered her mouth to prevent insane giggling. "Definitely not." She said, reclaiming a straight face. "We're just real close friends."

"How close?" Gregory inched a bit closer to her. She failed to notice.

"I don't know… extremely. Like best friends, siblings practically." She shrugged, ceasing to observe that he was only inches apart from her.

"Hmmm…" he pursed his lips, one of his hands finding their way to one of the belt loops on Liv's jeans. He tugged on it, bringing her a bit closer. Her cheeks burned, he grinned. She didn't protest to this, since she wasn't sure if she should.

"So, Olivia, you know the Valentine's Dance tonight?"

Unable to even whisper anything, she merely nodded.

"I was wondering, would you like to go with--" something caught his eye over her shoulder: Nikita. He was standing at the other end of the hallway, furious. He was totally jealous as far as Greg's simple mind could conclude. Of course this wasn't true, Nick was merely insanely protective, but that wasn't how he saw it. Gregory smirked. "—me?" he finished quickly, his chocolate brown eyes returning to Olivia.

She stared at him in utter disbelief. "W-well… I-I… yeah, s-sure, I guess….." she stumbled ungracefully over the words.

"Awesome." He smiled, and she could detect a small trace of a devil in that grin before his face got too close for her to tell anymore. Greg practically slammed his mouth to hers. His lips moved against hers fiercely, forcing them open, only to let his tongue continue. Olivia tried desperately to push him off, but he was much stronger than her and only smiled as he continued to push further into the embrace. Passersby stared in half disgust, half jealousy.  
One of Gregory's hands started to slide up her torso. From her waist…to her stomach, tracing over her rib cage…

Out of nowhere, he was gone. All contact between the two had disappeared. Olivia opened her green eyes wide with shock to see what had happened, and saw Nikita. His lips were twitching and his eyes sharp. Dammit, he was thirsty. She could hear a low growl echoing in his chest and a hiss sliding through his teeth. He hand one of his stone cold hands tightly around Gregory Matthews' neck. The poor boy's face started turning purple.

"Nick!" Liv shouted. She didn't even bother trying to pull his arms off, knowing the effort would be useless and lost.

The whole hallways froze to turn and stare at them. Gregory's friends were freaking out and debating whether or not they should interfere.

"Nick, put him _down_!!" she screamed, her voice breaking on the last word. She was still slightly in shock.

Nikita finally looked at her. His face was hard and his eyes harder. For a moment, she was terrified of him. "You can't be serious!" he scoffed.

"Now!" she screeched.

Nick sighed and removed his hand from the boy's neck, letting him fall into a crumpled heap on the floor. Greg coughed and crawled away, back to his friends while Nick went to Olivia. Before he said anything to her, he suddenly remembered something and whipped around. He shouted after Gregory, "And you can forget about going to the dance with her, you perverted son of a bitch." The words were shot with such venom, everyone within hearing range quivered. He got a pathetic wheeze in reply from the cocky quarterback.

When Nick turned back around, however, Olivia was gone. He rolled his predatory grey eyes and went off to find her.

"I could have handled it myself. You're lucky he didn't die." She scolded him later, during lunch.

"No you couldn't. And it wasn't luck that prevented that freak's death." He retorted.

"Could so." She said childishly, and came very close to adding 'He's a freak? Look who's talking, bloodsucker.', but stopped herself. That might hurt his feelings. "And what right do you have to refuse his invitation on my behalf? It's my choice." She took a bite out of her hamburger.

"Could not. And, yes, I didn't have any right to do that. But it was for your own good, Liv. Besides, you make lousy choices."

"Could so. And I do not. I chose to stay friends with you, didn't I?" Olivia raised her eyebrows, sipping her lemonade.

"Nu-uh. And that's exactly my point. Lousy choices." He smirked, stirring the coffee he'd bought as a prop.

"Ugh, says you." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

"Yes, says I. Though it sort of was my fault, since I almost begged you to do so." He frowned, staring into his drink somewhat mournfully.

"Well, now, don't go blaming yourself. Sometime you're such a self-pitying little creature…. And could so!!"

Nikita laughed. "Okay, maybe, _maybe_ you could have handled it yourself."

"Thank you." She mumbled, not looking at him.

And the conversation ended there. They never mentioned it again, both embarrassed by the event.

Now, he sat, rubbing her back and trying his very best to soothe her. She sobbed uncontrollably, hugging her knees tightly to chest.

"Shhh…. Liv, it was just a dream…" he kissed the top of her head, and was content with hearing her weeping starting to cease. Then the phone rang. Well, not Olivia's home phone, or even her cell. It was a completely different ring tone. Nikita stiffened slightly and was gone and back in a flash. He held a phone Olivia had never seen before. It was a cell phone, rather obviously. She guessed he'd always had it, but just rarely ever used it.

Nick flipped it open and answered with a quick and sharp, "Yes?"

Olivia strained to hear the rushed words coming from his lips. They hardly seemed to move, appearing as if all they were doing was twitching continuously.

"...what?" Nikita sounded surprised. "I can't..." mumble, mumble, "no…no…" mumbled, sigh, "Carlisle, I said no."

_Carlisle?_ Olivia wondered, _Who's that?_

Nick sighed quietly one more time, "Fine… fine!" mumble, mumble, "I'll be there by tomorrow." And he closed the phone.

"Nick, what's going--"

"Where's your suitcase?" he asked quickly, interrupting.

"In the basement somewhere… why--"

"Hush for a moment, Liv." He interrupted once again, holding up one finger.

"No." Olivia refused. "Nikita, what's going on?" she demanded, using his full first name. It was something she hardly ever did.

Nikita paused, unsure, and stared at her for a long while.  
"We're going to Forks." He stated flatly.

"… where?!"


	11. eleven

"Please fasten your seat belts, passengers, as we will now be beginning our descent into Washington." The voice from the speaker announced in a cheery, very fake, voice to the passengers on the plane.

Olivia sighed and clicked the belt together. She shoved her book into her carry-on black messenger bag and leaned back with another sigh. She closed her green eyes, reviewing her previous conversation with Nikita, who was currently sitting next to her and staring intently out the window…

"An ancient friend of mine--"

"How ancient?" Olivia interrupted, sitting on the floor and staring up at him.

Nick sighed as he continued to pack all of her worldly belongings into a large suitcase. "I met him during the time that I was with the Volturi. Now, can I continue?" he asked impatiently, balancing her stack of CD's in one hand.

Olivia held up her hands. "Sorry." She apologized.

"His name is Carlisle. Carlisle Cullen. He's close to a century younger than I. Moving on, over time, he has…. I guess, recruited a sort of family. Adopting them, in a way. All vegetarian, of course." He assured her.

Liv exhaled with a sense of relief.

"His wife, Esme…" Nikita's voice seemed to falter when he said her name and he carried a look of slight mourning on his face, but it faded quickly. "His sons Edward, Emmett and Jasper and his daughters Rosalie and Alice. Recently, his son Edward, of whom he's had in his family the longest, has fallen in love." Nikita paused, giving Olivia a chance to speak while he coiled the wire around one of her lamps.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed joyfully, her face in awe at the thought.

"Not really, no."

Her face fell. "Well, why not?"

"He fell in love with a human girl. And she has that irresistible quality I told you about. The opposite of how you are odorless to me."

"Oh…" Olivia looked down.

"Yeah, oh." Nikita looked at the suitcase, then glanced around her room, then looked back at the suitcase. He had everything, and it was stuffed to the maximum it could possibly hold. The room was empty, aside from her stripped bed and cleaned out desk, along with the chair Nikita used and the chair at her desk.

"You're never going to get that thing closed." Olivia said, changing the subject. She raised her eyebrows and shook her head, challenging him.

Nikita just rolled his soft grey eyes and zipped it up with ease.

"Okay, never mind then." She shrugged.

Nick stood and stalked off to his room. Olivia followed without saying anything. She knew he'd continue the story when he was ready. Over time, she'd started to develop her own amount of patience. Nowhere near as grand as that of Nikita's, but it was growing.

In his room, he folded his easel up and laid it down on the floor. He piled his chalk and charcoal set, neatly tucked into a small bag, on top, then began ripping his drawings off the walls. Once his forest green walls were bare, he put all the drawings into a large envelope.

Nikita went to his closet afterwards and pulled out his own suitcase. It was considerably smaller than Olivia's, since he had much less than her. He began to place all of his supplies and drawings into the bottom. He then moved to his CD collection and tossed them in. Once he was finished with the CD's, he emptied all of his clothing from his dresser into the suitcase, folding them neatly and quickly.

Meanwhile, Olivia watched wordlessly by the doorway. As soon as Nikita zipped up his own suitcase easily, he resumed.

"The problem is, aside from the obvious one, the girl wants to be changed. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but it would break the treaty they'd made with a pack of werewolves."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up. _Werewolves?_

"Not to mention she's got her heart set on getting Edward to change her."

"Dangerous?"

"Extremely. He's nowhere hear qualified to attempt something like that."

"What's the girl's name?" Liv asked suddenly.

"I haven't been given that information, yet." He shrugged.

"So, then, why did Carlisle call you?" she asked, confused.

"For advice."

"On what to do, on how to deal with situation…?" she guessed.

"Precisely." Nikita nodded.

"You couldn't give him advice across the phone?" she whined. Olivia didn't want to leave her home, she was comfortable there, in New York. Everything was going well for her, and this would only mess everything up.

"Well, no. I need to see the boy and girl, first. I need to see the werewolves. I need to know the details. It would be much to complicated over the phone." He explained.

"Then why can't they come here? Instead of us having to rearrange our lives for them, they should rearrange their lives for us. We're the ones giving them advice, anyways." Olivia pouted stubbornly.

"Firstly, you will not be involved. Only me, so please don't use the term 'we'. Secondly, do you think the werewolves would come all the way here for a Vampire?" he smirked, knowing he'd won, of course.

"What do you mean I won't be involved?" she asked, her brow furrowed in frustration.

"I don't want you involved. You could get hurt, Liv." He said gently.

"No, Nick. I'm with you all the way. Doesn't matter what you want. Doesn't matter what I want. We're a team, through and through." She spoke in a final tone, her lower lip sticking out once more in a small pout.

"You're being particularly stubborn and selfish, tonight." He chuckled.

"Shut up." Olivia snapped, looking away.

He chuckled again and kissed the top of her head. She shook it off, and narrowed her eyes onto him.

"You never answered my first question." She suddenly remembered.

Nikita's face became puzzled. "Huh?"

"Where the hell is Forks?!?!" she said, her eyes wide.

He only laughed.

Since then, their conversation had been scarce, because of the lack of privacy. On the plane, all Nick did was look out the window while Liv listened to her iPod and read her book of poetry. Nikita, of course, had bought them both first class tickets, so there wasn't an issue of comfort. However, Liv still felt uneasy.

Now, Olivia opened her eyes, only to find a pair of very white hands tightening her seatbelt. She rolled her eyes and held his wrists. The effort didn't affect him, since he ripped his hands away quickly.

"Nick…"

"Just in case." He mumbled, not looking at her, before clicking his own belt together.

Of course, this was completely unnecessary and only for his charade as a human being.

Olivia almost started laughing when he tightened he belt, but managed to restrain her giggles for later on. The plane started to lower to the earth.

Soon enough, her ears popped painfully and the wheels hit the long stretch of pavement. The flight attendant's voice returned on the speaker, welcoming them in a ridiculously happy tone to Washington.

After an hour worth of going through annoying security., the two finally made it to the luggage collection. Before anyone else even recognized their luggage, Nikita managed to collect Olivia's along with his own.

"Come on, Carlisle's waiting outside for me." He told her in a quick, low voice.

"Hold on, waiting for _you_? Nick, do they know I'm coming with you?"

"Uhm… no…" he gave her a sheepish grin.

Olivia decided to ignore it. She grabbed her suitcase and began walking to the door. It took a lot of effort to drag that heavy thing behind her, so Nikita jumped in and took it off her hands. With as much dignity she could muster, Olivia thanked him. She continued to walk briskly ahead of him and out the automatic doors. He let her have the advantage of walking faster, lagging behind a few feet.

Instantly, she saw Carlisle. He wasn't hard to miss, even though Liv had never met him before. He had all the qualities that Nikita had: pale skin, gorgeous features, blinding smile, purplish bags under his eyes… The only differences that Olivia could find was his hair and his eyes. This man's hair was of gold, in great contrast to Nikita's jet black locks, and it was neatly combed, unlike Nikita's messy mop. His eyes matched his butterscotch hued hair and they were locked onto Olivia's green ones.  
Only for a moment, though. For all he knew, she was just another human. Besides, she wasn't the only one staring.  
Olivia narrowed her eyes, hearing Nikita approaching behind her, and walked right up to the man who stood in front of the black Mercedes.  
Nikita watched, amused.

"Carlisle Cullen." She addressed him confidently.

He looked at her, his eyes widened slightly.

"Yes?" he replied casually, yet cautiously.

Olivia opened her mouth, ready to say something witty to do with Edward and his little human lover, but Nikita saw the snarky remark coming and quickly interrupted.

"Carlisle! Ol' buddy, ol' pal!" he said, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Carlisle looked at his old, old friend and nodded. "Nikita."

Nick's grey eyes widened ferociously. "What fresh hell?!" he growled, crossing his arms over his chest. "After a hundred and fifty years? That's it, a nod?!"

Carlisle stood up straight. "What would you prefer me to do?" he asked, glancing somewhat self consciously at Olivia, who was standing right beside Nikita and listening to every word.

"Well…. I don't know…" Nikita shrugged, looking at the ground.

"Let's get going." The blond vampire said finally.

"Shotgun!" Olivia shouted suddenly, smiling.

Carlisle paused, staring at her. "Nikita…. Who is this?"


	12. twelve

Liv stared at the forest, her mouth hanging open in a dumb, awe-filled expression.  
"It's…It's so… green!" she whispered, seeming shocked and even somewhat disturbed by the color of her new home. Olivia had only ever seen the grey tones of New York City and the closest she had ever gotten to wildlife was in museums and theaters.

"You're such a city girl, Liv." Nikita teased, chuckling. He ruffled her hair which she had so neatly pulled into braided pigtails.

The girl whined and smoothed her now mussed hair down. Without bothering to defend herself, since she knew his stereotype was true, Olivia marched to her car.

Nick, after dropping Olivia off at the house (already furnished and painted according to their previous rooms), had gone back to New York, gotten her car and driven it back. Then, he went all the way back again to retrieve his own car. She searched through her messenger bag for her keys, but was unable to find them. She sighed impatiently and looked up, only to see Nick standing between her and the car door, holding her keys.

"Give 'em." She ordered.

He laughed. "Oh no."

"What now?" she asked, obviously irritated.

"I'm driving." He stated simply, pointing to himself and grinning.

"Ugh, fine." She rolled her eyes, walking around the car, towards the passenger side.

She heard Nikita's chortle and turned to look at him. Only he wasn't where she recalled him being. He was instead at the driver side door of his own grey Chrysler ME412.

"Are you kidding me? Nick, in this town, that thing is practically made of gold."

He shrugged. "I like attention." He smirked, climbing into the car.

"Of course you do…" Liv muttered, stomping over to his car. She opened the passenger door and hopped in, huffing. He only laughed at her sulking.

Once her seatbelt clicked together, she looked at him, eyes narrowed. "Why do you have to drive, again?"

"You're bound to get lost, firstly. And I don't want you running into any dogs."

"Get lost? Nikita, I lived in New York my whole life and never once did I get lost. This town is like the size of a mall in New York." She shot back, then continued. "And dogs? Please. You know just as well as I do that they wouldn't dare cause a scene just because I smell like you. And if they did harm me, that would break the treaty, correct? Which would cause a war. And no one wants that… unless they're masochistic mutts." Her green eyes had never been more deadly.

Nikita knew she was still bitter about moving to Forks, but he'd never seen her so vicious. He twisted his face in a search to find a reply.  
"Well I need the car anyways."

"Why? We're gonna be in school."

"Uh… you will be in school." He said, averting his eyes out the window.

"What?! You're abandoning me?" she gaped.

"Not exactly… but during the time that you'll be sitting in a tiny desk and learning pointless facts, I'll be arguing with Carlisle."

"Fine…" Olivia started pouting again.

"Oh, and don't bother looking for any of the Cullens. They're out…uh… 'camping'." He used air quotes on the last word.

Liv rolled her eyes. She didn't feel like talking anymore. He was only making it worse, despite his efforts not to. She turned and tossed her messenger bag into the backseat before being thrown back by the momentum of Nikita zooming forward down the wet street.

"Idiot…" she muttered, glaring out the window.

Olivia walked through the small double doors and nearly frowned. She was expecting it to be small, but this was tiny. It was nothing like Olivia's New York High School. The ceilings here were much lower and the few short halls a lot narrower; she was starting to feel a tad claustrophobic. The cafeteria was close to the size of one of the classrooms at Regis Secondary School, and she tried to imagine all of the students at Regis fitting in that one cafeteria… it was rather a comedic thought and nearly made her laugh. Another thing that bugged her was the common lunch. Every student ate lunch together. Olivia was used to an assigned free block and only having maybe half the school at once in their gigantic cafeteria. The thing she'd liked about so little people in a big space was that she had the freedom to have a table all to herself. While here, she was certain to have to sit beside someone.

It wasn't hard to figure out all of the separated buildings, since their numbers were written very clearly. Her schedule was different from New York, since it was the second semester and she wanted new subjects. She was only given permission to choose three classes, since she would have P.E. all year long. She decided on mathematics, history and biology. She wasn't worried about the severity of any of her courses, since she knew Nick could teach her more than the teachers themselves could.

In the school, no one had heard about her arrival, apparently. They noticed her. Oh, did they ever. They stared at her with curious eyes, but no one ever actually seemed to have the courage to speak to her. One shorter girl with dark curly hair and a very bubbly face looked very tempted, but stopped herself last minute, as if remembering something.  
Olivia preferred that. Being a loner was a sort of comfort zone for her and having the option of slipping into that role once again was a relief. It was like part of her identity. She was never lonely. She never had been, even before Nikita came along. Solitude was just something she enjoyed, it helped her think clearer.

Lunch arrived all too quickly, and Olivia dreaded the thought of anyone waving frantically for her to sit with them. She walked in the door and a few dozen eyes lifted to glance at her. Some were more hidden with their stares, but she could see very clearly they were curious to where she would place herself. Each table was crowded with students of various types. This place was the farthest thing from cliqued. Every student mingled with one another, and it seemed to be very positive interactions. Liv almost didn't like it, having been surrounded by stereotypical young adults who always followed the status quo.

Olivia took in each pair of thirsty eyes and raised her chin a fraction, keeping her dignity as she searched frantically for an empty table. In the end, there was only one. Even just looking at it, and the way every student kept their distance from it, Olivia could instantly recognize that _that_ was the Cullens' table. She glanced around before marching right up to the table and sitting down. Everyone froze in a state of shock. Clearly she was the first to sit there. Ignoring their confusion and startled faces, Olivia opened her bag of chips and munched on them quietly. Whispers started, so she dove into her book. That made it easier to ignore them, but in the back of her mind, she was very aware that everyone was very aware of her... along with her chosen seat.

_I wonder..._ Olivia mused, smirking to herself, _what's going on in the human lover's mind?_ she nearly giggled and used all her might to restrain herself from looking around the minuscule lunch room to find the girl of which Edward was so taken with.  

After that, school was sort of dull throughout the rest of the day. It hadn't been until gym that anything else exciting occurred.

In P.E., they had just started a unit on track and field, one of Olivia favorites. They were told to run six laps around the field, and she started without a delay. As she ran, she smiled, loving the feeling of the cool wind against her face. The steady beat of her feet hitting the track was such a familiar sound to her,; she'd always loved running. She finished one lap, and saw that she was the first to finish one lap. She smiled, not being able to help but be proud, and continued running. The teacher praised her, clearly happy to see another more athletic person.

Olivia wasn't truly athletic. Since the recent turn of events, she'd been neglecting her dance classes. Her muscles were stiffening and she could hardly do the splits any more. Liv made a mental note to sign herself up for some classes and to do some more stretching at home to regain her lost flexibility.

Olivia looked back and realized she was far ahead of everyone. Not really caring about her mark in P.E., she slowed down to a brisk walk, giving the others a chance to get ahead. She let close to half a dozen pass her and then started to jog again. Suddenly, a small yelp came from behind her followed by the painful sound of someone falling. Liv stopped and turned to see who it was. A girl with brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, was wincing as she tried pathetically to stand up. In the distance, the teacher blew her whistle. Olivia jogged over to the girl and offered a hand to help her up. The poor girl accepted the aid gratefully. Her knees and forearms were scraped up pretty badly; even her palms were cut from her trying to catch herself. Olivia knew a trip to the nurse's office was in store.

The girl stood with Olivia's help and rested her arm across her shoulders for extra support. Her right ankle seemed to have twisted during her fall, since she was leaning more of her weight on the left foot. A round faced pretty boy with blond hair sprinted over to the two girls.

He caught his breath and stared at the brown haired girl with a horrified expression. "Bella! Bella, are you okay?" he asked her restlessly, his eyes wide with worry.  

Bella nodded, her smile small and her cheeks bright pink as the blood pooled in her face from embarrassment.

Olivia however, didn't say a single thing. This girl, she'd been in contact with a vampire recently. Liv could smell it. The delicious, sweet fragrance radiated from her pale skin like perfume. Obviously, it had been _close_ contact.

The teacher blew her whistle again, finally arriving at the scene. She, too, caught her breath and looked at the brown haired girl. Bella was her name, apparently.  
"Do you need to go to the nurse?" she nearly screamed, even though she was only a few feet from them.

Bella's face lit up momentarily and her mouth twitched, coming very close to smiling.

_P.E. hater._ Liv concluded.

Hamming it up quite a bit, the girl nodded weakly. The teacher turned to Olivia. "Can you take her?" she said sharply, again too loud. It hardly even sounded like a question.

"Sure." She agreed, glancing at Bella quickly. _Who is this girl? Is this the human lover Nikita told me about? Is she who Edward fell in love with?_

The two girls walked (well, one walked, the other limped sadly alongside.) in silence for a long while. Bella didn't seem awkward, she just seemed quiet. Like someone who wasn't a huge fan of conversation.

When they reached the school's office doors, Olivia reached out and opened one door for the both of them. They scuttled in to retreat from the cold wet air outside and into the warmer, dryer surroundings in the small office. The secretary was currently on the phone and mouthed to them to wait a moment, pointing to the chairs against a wall. They sat next to each other, and finally Bella broke the silence.

"So… uhm… what's your name…?" she asked in a quiet voice

Olivia smiled warmly at her. "Olivia Roberts, you?"

"Bella… Swan." She seemed to hesitate between, as if she longed to say a different last name.

_Cullen, I bet._ Olivia thought, smirking inwardly.


	13. thirteen

The nurse, an older woman with short, dark brown hair with graying streaks, stepped out and waved to the two girls. Olivia stood first and helped Bella up. Bella's face tightened as she felt the small pain wrack through her body. Slowly, they made their way to the small room. It was a rather dreadful room, with faded mustard yellow walls and a tiny bed covered in itchy grey wool blankets and a minuscule pillow. Olivia noticed with disgust how many stains were strewn across the pillow. Bella sat down on the bed with a small sigh, the plastic mattress crinkling beneath her weight. Liv found a chair and dragged it to sit beside the bed. The nurse, meanwhile, was rifling through her first aid kit. She finally turned around, juggling multiple items: cotton swabs, rubbing alcohol, band-aids and polysporin. She smiled kindly at the girls before pulling up her own chair and placing it in front of Bella. She poured a small amount of rubbing alcohol onto a cotton swab, and Bella squeezed her eyes, anticipating the sting. However, a phone rang from another room and the nurse exhaled loudly.

"Hold on a moment, dears." She set the medical stuff down on the seat of her chair as she stood and marched off to answer the phone, leaving the girls alone.

"So…" Olivia started, "I couldn't help but noticed you aren't too fond of P.E."

Bella flushed and looked down. "Well, no, not really."

"Why not?"

"I've never been too good at sports…. Hand eye co-ordination just doesn't work for me." She shrugged.

Olivia laughed lightly. "Understandable."

Bella nodded, still looking down.

"Is that blond guy your boyfriend?" Olivia asked suddenly, though she knew the answer.

"What?" she replied, looking up with a dumbfounded expression.

"That pretty-boy, the guy with the blond hair and round face." Liv described him as well as she could.

"Mike?" she sounded disgusted and her face twisted into an almost pained expression.

"Yeah, he seemed really worried about you."

"Uhm, no… no he is not my boyfriend…" her shoulders shook slightly in a small shudder.

"Don't like him?" Olivia guessed.

"Well no… not in that way." She struggled for words, it seemed.

"Then, who do you like… in that way?" Liv nudged her playfully with her elbow, grinning.

"My… boyfriend… Edward." Bella blushed and smiled all at once when she said his name.

"Edward, eh?" so Olivia had been right: this _was_ the human lover. Not exactly what she'd expected, for sure. Then again, she hadn't really been sure what to expect. "That's a traditional name. That's from the early nineteen hundreds, isn't it?" Liv questioned, holding her smirk down desperately.

Bella's eyes went wide for a moment. "Yes, I believe so." She said quickly, looking away.

"Hey, you're in my history class, aren't you" Olivia asked suddenly.

"With Mrs. Elliott?"

"Yeah, second period, right before lunch?"

"Yeah."

"Is there a test this week?"

"Uhm… on Friday, I think."

"Do you mind helping me study? History never has been my forte." Olivia smiled sheepishly.

"Sure, I guess. You could come over today, if you like."

"Really? That'd be great! I'll just have to phone Nick."

"Who's Nick?" Bella asked, adopting the same curiosity Olivia had had earlier.

"Uh… friend… said I'd hang out with him today but I can't now."

"Well, you don't have to cancel on him for me."

"It's no big deal, don't worry." She assured her.

The nurse returned to the girls and apologized for her absence. She resumed her position in front of Bella and cleaned her scratched knees. The girl hissed as the alcohol stung viciously and pursed her lips tightly to avoid whimpering. The nurse rubbed on some polysporin, which soothed the sting, and then stuck on a couple band aids. She applied a bit of pressure to Bella's right ankle, and the brown haired girl winced in response.

"Looks like you twisted it, dear. I'll wrap it up so it doesn't get worse, but it doesn't look too bad. No need for crutches, at least." She gave her a small, comforting smile and turned around to pull out some medical wrap. She found it, along with a pin, and asked her to remove her runners. She did so accordingly and the nurse began to wrap the cloth tightly around Bella's ankle. She pinned it together, making sure it was secure, and then instructed her to put her shoes back on. Bella did so gingerly, careful not to tie the laces too tightly.

"All set. Back to class, you two. Bella, take it easy on that ankle." She ushered them both out.

Bella stretched her legs, getting used to the stiffness and uncomfortable pain. "What class do you have next?"

Liv looked at her for a moment. She hadn't been expecting Bella to concern herself with anything of Olivia's affairs. Seems the girl had taken a liking towards her throughout their short conversation which consisted mainly of pointless girl talk.

"Uh, Biology, Mr. Banner." She replied finally.

"Same. My partner's… away, today, so I'll spare you from working with a complete stranger. It's the least I could do after this mess." She smiled faintly and motioned to her banged up knees.

"Sounds fair." Olivia agreed as she opened the door for both of them. They both shivered as the cool wind ambushed them. "Let's go get changed first, though."

Bella nodded in strong agreement and they made their way to the change rooms. She limped, avoiding as much weight as possible on her right foot.

"I'm guessing Edward is your partner?" she took a stab at it. She figured her bloodsucking boyfriend was similar to Nikita when it came to school: rearranges his classes to fit her schedule but manages to evade P.E.

"Yeah, but he's out with his siblings." She explained vaguely.

"Out where?" Olivia asked, for once very curious to her reply, instead of always knowing roughly what the answer would be.

"Camping and hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, it's a place just south of Mount Rainier. They're rather… outdoorsy." The corner of her mouth twitched.

"Isn't that area prone to bears?" Olivia asked, remembering the little information she'd read about this small area she now resigned within.

Bella bit her lip and shrugged. "Don't ask me. I don't do that type of stuff."

"Hence why you're here and not with them?"

Bella paused, and her mouth twitched again. "Exactly."

They arrived at the change room and both went into their own stall to get back into their every day clothes. Olivia changed from her black basketball shorts and over sized white T-shirt that had 'I NY' printed on it, into her previous attire: dark blue jeans and a pale pink plaid button up blouse. She tossed her gym strip into the locker she'd picked and closed it up. Bella changed from her shorts and plain T-shirt to a khaki skort and cream colored V-neck sweater. The two then cleaned up their hair. Bella simply ran a brush through hers after removing the ponytail, parting it slightly to the side. Meanwhile, Olivia took out her braids completely, leaving her strawberry blond hair loose and crimped. She ran her fingers through it briefly, to get rid of all the knots, and then turned to Bella.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yup." She replied.

The two girls walked to their next class slowly, in no hurry to arrive at the designated building. The note in Olivia's hand from the nurse excused their tardiness, so there really was no hurry.

"Does Edward have a big family?" Olivia asked, bringing up the subject once again. Bella failed to noticed that this seemed to be Olivia's main focus.

With a nod, she replied. "Two sisters and two brothers. But it's all an adopted family. The parents are hardly older than the children themselves."

"That's odd." Though Olivia knew full well none of it was true.

"Agreed." Bella held a smile down. She obviously wasn't the best at lying.

"When does he come back, do you know?"

"He'll be at my house before me." She blurted out, not thinking.

"He waits for you at your house?" Olivia lifted one eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah…" Bella coughed, attempting to sound casual.

"You guys must be pretty serious."

"You could say that." Bella pursed her lips, afraid she might say anything else suspicious.

The rest of the way, conversation was scarce, as they only commented on various things until they arrived at class. The teacher welcomed them, addressing Bella familiarly. Olivia handed him two things: one, the note excusing the both of them and two, the sheet all of her teachers needed to sign. He signed it quickly and introduced her to the class. She paid no attention to the stares and instead went to the empty seat beside Bella.

"Does he always do that?" Olivia asked in a whisper, referring to how the teacher had so formally introduced her.

Bella shrugged. "He did it for me on my first day." She hid a frown, in memory of that first day in Forks, of that first day in Biology.

Olivia didn't bother asking.

Biology was over in a short time, a dull and painless hour passed quickly.

Bella and Olivia left the building together and Liv couldn't help but notice the girl with dark curly hair staring at her with scorn and Mike, the blond boy, staring with curiosity and even jealousy. It was hard to figure out if Bella was adored or despised.

Olivia jumped when her phone vibrated in her jean pocket, and she ripped it out, knowing immediately who it was. She and Bella stopped walking so that Olivia could answer.

"Hey." She spoke quickly. Bella raised an eyebrow at her eagerness. In all honesty, despite her annoyance with him at the moment, Liv had really missed Nikita.

"Hello. How was your first day?" he asked simply.

"Decent. How was your… conference?" she chose her words carefully, very aware that Bella was listening.

He didn't reply for a moment. "Someone's with you." He avoided the subject of his conversation with the Cullens.

"Was that a question?"

"I can see you Olive. I'm waiting in the car. Hurry up." He was getting very impatient.

"What's with you?" the sentence was mildly rude, but her tone hinted grandly at her worry.

"I'll tell you everything when there aren't other ears within hearing range." He spoke slowly, and Olivia could have sworn she heard him stifle a growl.

"Well, I can't come anyways."

"What?" his voice was between hurt, insulted and confused.

"I am going to my friend Bella's house to study." She explained with a sliver of pride. She knew that by now he must know the name of Edward's little valentine, so this would for sure catch his attention. She'd befriended the very reason they were there, she was involved now. The one thing Nikita didn't want her to be.

"Bella… Liv, do you mean Isabella Swan?" Nick's voice was becoming more of a whisper, as if her very name were sacred.

"Yes."

"Olivia, no. No, no, no, no and no."

"Nick, you can relax. I already know."

He went quiet and took deep, slow and unnecessary breaths.

"Fine." He snapped. "I know where she lives, so I won't be far." And he hung up with that.

In the distance, Olivia could hear the engine of his car roar and the tires screech as he sped off.

Olivia sighed and slipped the phone back into her pocket. Bella looked rather curious, but she kept her many questions to herself as she and Liv continued to make their way to Bella's truck. Bella unlocked the driver door whole Olivia skipped to the other side. She sat in the seat, tossing her bag into the backseat and leaned over to unlock the passenger door. Olivia hopped in and closed the door, holding her bag in her lap.

Just as they both clicked in their seat belts, the familiar pitter-patter of water started to fall onto the roof of the vehicle. Bella frowned.

"Have you gotten used to the rain, yet?" she questioned, staring disdainfully at the wet as it fell upon the windshield. She put the truck into ignition and a few heads turned to see who's monster was coming alive.

Olivia shrugged, observing the vehicle. It was strange that a girl with a vampire as her boyfriend would be driving such a sad form of transportation.  
"It's not so much the weather, it's actually the _color_ that bugs me."

They drove in silence, not even music playing from her ancient stereo. The two finally arrived at a small house and Bella pulled up into the driveway. Olivia looked up at a window, presumably that of Bella's bedroom, and saw someone standing there. Still as stone, a young man stared down at both of them, a hard look cast darkly upon his face. His copper colored hair was in a mess and his skin as white as Nikita's. And Carlisle's, for that matter. Olivia also noticed that his eyes were similar to Carlisle's: a golden hue. She wondered momentarily why Nikita's eye were a predatory grey in the place of the Cullens' warm butterscotch irises.

Bella followed Liv'a gaze and saw Edward. Immediately, she smiled and half of his mouth twisted up slightly into a crooked smile in return.

Liv raised an eyebrow. _That's a strange way to smile…_ she thought somewhat bitterly. She didn't think it was that attractive, to be perfectly honest. Olivia then saw his smile fall into a grimace.

That's right, Nikita had said something about Edward reading minds, but that he was unable to read his lover's thoughts. Bella's face grew confused at his scowl and she looked at him questioningly. He only shook his head and quickly vanished from the window.

_This oughtta be interesting_ Olivia smirked, exiting the truck.


	14. fourteen

Tension was very thick within the small living room. Bella sat on the arm of the couch uncomfortably, her confusion only growing with each tick of the clock. Edward Cullen stood defensively beside her, his back rigid and his arms crossed strongly in front of his chest. His golden eyes never left Olivia, who was lunging in the arm chair without a care. She stifled a grin when she noticed the skin on Edward's knuckles stretching even whiter over the bone as he clenched and unclenched his fists. She'd always found it amusing when Nikita was irritated, and she only found it more comical when Edward forced his cold glare upon her. As long as she knew no harm would come to her, her confidence remained unfathomable.

Bella fidgeted, staring somewhat impatiently at Edward. She was anxious for an explanation of his unusual behavior towards Olivia, a girl he'd never even met. How could he possibly be so bitter towards her so easily? Surely her thoughts weren't all _that_wretched.

Olivia sighed, observing the obvious awkwardness between the three of them… well, between her and the two of them. _Why aren't you going to tell her?_ she posed the question in her mind, knowing full well he could hear her.

His gaze only tightened.

_You afraid?_

She saw his head move slightly from side to side, shaking his head in a 'no'.

_If you don't, I will._ she threatened, quirking one eyebrow mischievously.

"No." he spoke between clenched teeth and tight lips.

"Edward, what's going on?" Bella asked quietly, placing a hand on his arm. Her brown eyes flickered momentarily to Liv.

_Tell her._

His head shook again, the movement bigger this time.

_Yes._ Olivia had the determination of a five year old, only without the tantrums.

"I said no." Edward hissed, glowering.

Olivia heaved another loud sigh and hopped to her feet. She took a few steps toward him, showing him that she wasn't kidding and that she definitely was not afraid.

"Edward, _tell her._" she spoke slowly, exaggerating every syllable clearly.

He took a step forward, attempting to intimidate her by towering over her menacingly. Before he even opened his mouth to retort, Bella tugged anxiously on the sleeve of his burgundy button-up shirt.

"Tell me what…?" her voice was feeble.

"Not now Bella." She flinched at his words, but still clung to his shirt. She looked at Olivia pleadingly, but her green eyes were on Edward's angrily.

"Tell her or I will." Liv said aloud, gritting her teeth together. She hated stubborn vampires, they were the worst. At least Nikita let her get her way… most of the time.

"I heard you the first time." Edward spat, his eyes brooding.

"You heard but you didn't listen." She shot back quickly.

He rolled his topaz eyes in annoyance. "Can you leave now?" he said, ignoring her previous reply.

"Do you find it acceptable to lie to her so plainly?" she waved an arm loosely towards Bella. Olivia wasn't giving up, not now. He wasn't getting away with this. Bella deserved the truth. She deserved to know what was going on, especially since it involved her. It pretty much revolved _around_ her, this whole fiasco.

"I never lied." He defended quickly.

"You never told the truth."

"Neither did you." The way he said it was almost funny, as if he were a child and was having a stupid and juvenile dispute over a cookie or piece of candy. If Olivia weren't in such a sour mood, she might have laughed. Too bad her bitterness was stronger than her sense of humor at the moment.

However, what he said made her pause. He did have her there. She'd lied to Bella numerous times within the short time span of which they had known each other. But Olivia, of course, refused to back down.

"I never claimed I loved her, though. I had no previous commitment of which I had to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!" her voice raised. She sounded like she was in court, using that line.

He pursed his lips, Olivia smirked. He stepped back and Liv knew right away that she'd won.

"_Edward_." Bella said, her tone getting sharper. "What is she talking about? What's going on?" she pleaded for an answer.

"Tell her, now." Olivia said for the last time.

Edward fired one more glare at the blond girl, but sighed. His posture loosened and he considered how he would explain it to his dear Bella. Finally, his lips parted as he prepared to say something, but he suddenly froze. His butterscotch eyes shifted to the front door and his jaw tightened reflexively. Quickly so fast he was nearly a blur, he grabbed Bella and put her behind him protectively. His legs parted and his hands were balled into strong fists, flanking either side of him. He prepared himself for whatever he knew was coming. Olivia went to the far side of the room and Bella clutched Edward's shirt with shaking hands. This was all too much for one day.

A large series of bangs echoed through the small house, and Liv recognized it as someone slamming their fist furiously on the front door, presumably knocking. Whoever it was, they didn't knock for long, since soon after the windows stopped rattling, they flung the door open with such force that it hit the wall, denting it. Bella ducked behind Edward while Olivia stared wide eyed at the figure in the door.

"_Bella._" a husky voice called, infuriated.

Bella 's head surfaced from behind Edward. "J-Jake..?" she stammered, her voice cracking.

"Bella." He said again, approaching the living room. It was a tall, very tall, young man with copper colored skin. His glossy black hair was just past chin length and, at the moment, in a shaggy, wet mess. The boy's eyes were sharp and cold, their dark brown irises locked onto the brunette who hid fearfully behind the crouching vampire. Olivia noticed that his whole body was shaking, quivering uncontrollably.

Edward snarled loudly, his lips curling over his teeth to bear them threateningly. Observing his defense, Olivia shuddered. She hardly ever heard Nikita growl, but the very sound of it was excruciatingly frightening. She loathed the sound, and whenever it came upon her ears, she wound cringe painfully.

"Back off, mutt." Edward spat.

_Mutt…?_ Olivia's green eyes widened. _A WEREWOLF?!_. her mind raced, spinning all over the place wildly. Attempting to calm her thoughts, she held her breath. This couldn't be good: she was in the same room as a vampire and a werewolf; eternal enemies.

The young man growled in a rougher tone; like that of a dog's. "You back off, leech. This has nothing to do with you." He held up a crumpled piece of paper. Olivia noticed there was writing all over it; two different types of writing, in fact. It was similar to the type of note kids would pass around during class.

"Jacob, I-" Bella began, but couldn't finish.

Jacob took one large step forward, approaching Bella. Unluckily, he came closer to Edward as well and they both wrinkled their noses in distaste to one another's scent. No one seemed to realize or remember that Olivia was still there. This was usual for her, being ignored. She was so accustom to people showing off their drama right in front of her and none of them noticing her presence. It was like watching T.V.. However, this time, she felt too involved. It was more like a horror movie.

"Bella." The boy said for the third time. "What do you mean 'I'm sorry'? What are you sorry for? Are you sorry we became best friends? Are you sorry I feel stronger for you than you for me? Are you sorry that I _love_ you? Are you sorry that I told Charlie about the bikes? That I made your time with this freak," he glared at Edward, "much more limited? Are you sorry that I'm a werewolf and he's a vampire? I didn't ask to be what I am, you know!" he was screaming now, and Olivia was sure if he were any louder the whole town would hear.

Edward growled. "I didn't ask to be what I am either, dog!"

Jacob ignored the interrupion and took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. It didn't work. "Are you sorry we ever met, Bella? Do you wish I didn't exist, so that you and _Cullen_," he sneered as he said the name, "can live happily ever after as dead, cold-skinned, blood sucking monsters?!" His shaking was becoming more and more obvious as his anger was building. Olivia knew that any moment he could burst and a war would lash out between him and Edward. She found herself wishing dearly that Nikita was there to keep her safe…

… wait, what? Since when did she need Nikita at every moment in her life? She was perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet! With her new found self confidence, Liv jumped right in between Edward and Jacob, between vampire and werewolf.

Everyone stared in shock at her quick, and suicidal, action. Jacob's surprise was short lived since it soon melted into pure anger. He clearly hadn't noticed this girl, and his first impression of her wasn't necessarily a good one.  
Edward and Bella, however, were astounded. Edward's brow furrowed in confusion and even worry at her sudden decision and Bella looked like a terrified goldfish, her brown eyes as wide as they could possibly go.

"Move." Jacob growled sternly.

Olivia turned to face him directly, and she forced a smirk to play upon her lips. Confidence was a must. "Nuh-uh." She shook her head from side to side with each syllable.

His muscles tightened as he restrained himself from violence. He, instead, decided a threat would get her out of the way. If she didn't take his warning seriously, well then…actions would definitely have to be taken.

"I could tear you to shreds." Jacob said in a low, harsh whisper.

Olivia snorted, rolling her eyes dramatically. She shoved her face forward so that it was a mere inch from his. "I'd like to see you try." She returned in the same tone.

Jacob's face twisted, each of his features transforming to resemble that of a beast, of a dog, of a monster. A devastating snarl ripped from his chest and his nostrils flared as his whole body began to quiver all over again.

Olivia, despite her fear, was still smirking; a cover up.

The tall young man stepped back a couple steps slowly, then all at once, leaped at Olivia. She squeezed her bright green eyes ridiculously tight, but no scream escaped her lips. Before Edward could even react, let alone save her from being cleaved to shreds, a different, and familiar, growl erupted from a different direction. It was followed by a loud thud on the floor and the sounds of a nasty struggle. Olivia opened one eyes to see if she really was still breathing, and why. She gasped when she saw Nikita standing up slowly, his back to her. Then, she saw beyond him: Jacob lying on the floor with blood dripping from his mouth, most likely after being slugged brutally in the jaw. He stared at Nikita incredulously, as did everyone else.

"You _don't_ try." Nick hissed.


	15. fifteen

Tension was very thick within the small living room. Bella sat on the arm of the couch uncomfortably, her confusion only growing with each tick of the clock. Edward Cullen stood defensively beside her, his back rigid and his arms crossed strongly in front of his chest. His golden eyes never left Olivia, who was lunging in the arm chair without a care. She stifled a grin when she noticed the skin on Edward's knuckles stretching even whiter over the bone as he clenched and unclenched his fists. She'd always found it amusing when Nikita was irritated, and she only found it more comical when Edward forced his cold glare upon her. As long as she knew no harm would come to her, her confidence remained unfathomable.

Bella fidgeted, staring somewhat impatiently at Edward. She was anxious for an explanation of his unusual behavior towards Olivia, a girl he'd never even met. How could he possibly be so bitter towards her so easily? Surely her thoughts weren't all _that_wretched.

Olivia sighed, observing the obvious awkwardness between the three of them… well, between her and the two of them. _Why aren't you going to tell her?_ she posed the question in her mind, knowing full well he could hear her.

His gaze only tightened.

_You afraid?_

She saw his head move slightly from side to side, shaking his head in a 'no'.

_If you don't, I will._ she threatened, quirking one eyebrow mischievously.

"No." he spoke between clenched teeth and tight lips.

"Edward, what's going on?" Bella asked quietly, placing a hand on his arm. Her brown eyes flickered momentarily to Liv.

_Tell her._

His head shook again, the movement bigger this time.

_Yes._ Olivia had the determination of a five year old, only without the tantrums.

"I said no." Edward hissed, glowering.

Olivia heaved another loud sigh and hopped to her feet. She took a few steps toward him, showing him that she wasn't kidding and that she definitely was not afraid.

"Edward, _tell her._" she spoke slowly, exaggerating every syllable clearly.

He took a step forward, attempting to intimidate her by towering over her menacingly. Before he even opened his mouth to retort, Bella tugged anxiously on the sleeve of his burgundy button-up shirt.

"Tell me what…?" her voice was feeble.

"Not now Bella." She flinched at his words, but still clung to his shirt. She looked at Olivia pleadingly, but her green eyes were on Edward's angrily.

"Tell her or I will." Liv said aloud, gritting her teeth together. She hated stubborn vampires, they were the worst. At least Nikita let her get her way… most of the time.

"I heard you the first time." Edward spat, his eyes brooding.

"You heard but you didn't listen." She shot back quickly.

He rolled his topaz eyes in annoyance. "Can you leave now?" he said, ignoring her previous reply.

"Do you find it acceptable to lie to her so plainly?" she waved an arm loosely towards Bella. Olivia wasn't giving up, not now. He wasn't getting away with this. Bella deserved the truth. She deserved to know what was going on, especially since it involved her. It pretty much revolved _around_ her, this whole fiasco.

"I never lied." He defended quickly.

"You never told the truth."

"Neither did you." The way he said it was almost funny, as if he were a child and was having a stupid and juvenile dispute over a cookie or piece of candy. If Olivia weren't in such a sour mood, she might have laughed. Too bad her bitterness was stronger than her sense of humor at the moment.

However, what he said made her pause. He did have her there. She'd lied to Bella numerous times within the short time span of which they had known each other. But Olivia, of course, refused to back down.

"I never claimed I loved her, though. I had no previous commitment of which I had to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!" her voice raised. She sounded like she was in court, using that line.

He pursed his lips, Olivia smirked. He stepped back and Liv knew right away that she'd won.

"_Edward_." Bella said, her tone getting sharper. "What is she talking about? What's going on?" she pleaded for an answer.

"Tell her, now." Olivia said for the last time.

Edward fired one more glare at the blond girl, but sighed. His posture loosened and he considered how he would explain it to his dear Bella. Finally, his lips parted as he prepared to say something, but he suddenly froze. His butterscotch eyes shifted to the front door and his jaw tightened reflexively. Quickly so fast he was nearly a blur, he grabbed Bella and put her behind him protectively. His legs parted and his hands were balled into strong fists, flanking either side of him. He prepared himself for whatever he knew was coming. Olivia went to the far side of the room and Bella clutched Edward's shirt with shaking hands. This was all too much for one day.

A large series of bangs echoed through the small house, and Liv recognized it as someone slamming their fist furiously on the front door, presumably knocking. Whoever it was, they didn't knock for long, since soon after the windows stopped rattling, they flung the door open with such force that it hit the wall, denting it. Bella ducked behind Edward while Olivia stared wide eyed at the figure in the door.

"_Bella._" a husky voice called, infuriated.

Bella 's head surfaced from behind Edward. "J-Jake..?" she stammered, her voice cracking.

"Bella." He said again, approaching the living room. It was a tall, very tall, young man with copper colored skin. His glossy black hair was just past chin length and, at the moment, in a shaggy, wet mess. The boy's eyes were sharp and cold, their dark brown irises locked onto the brunette who hid fearfully behind the crouching vampire. Olivia noticed that his whole body was shaking, quivering uncontrollably.

Edward snarled loudly, his lips curling over his teeth to bear them threateningly. Observing his defense, Olivia shuddered. She hardly ever heard Nikita growl, but the very sound of it was excruciatingly frightening. She loathed the sound, and whenever it came upon her ears, she wound cringe painfully.

"Back off, mutt." Edward spat.

_Mutt…?_ Olivia's green eyes widened. _A WEREWOLF?!_. her mind raced, spinning all over the place wildly. Attempting to calm her thoughts, she held her breath. This couldn't be good: she was in the same room as a vampire and a werewolf; eternal enemies.

The young man growled in a rougher tone; like that of a dog's. "You back off, leech. This has nothing to do with you." He held up a crumpled piece of paper. Olivia noticed there was writing all over it; two different types of writing, in fact. It was similar to the type of note kids would pass around during class.

"Jacob, I-" Bella began, but couldn't finish.

Jacob took one large step forward, approaching Bella. Unluckily, he came closer to Edward as well and they both wrinkled their noses in distaste to one another's scent. No one seemed to realize or remember that Olivia was still there. This was usual for her, being ignored. She was so accustom to people showing off their drama right in front of her and none of them noticing her presence. It was like watching T.V.. However, this time, she felt too involved. It was more like a horror movie.

"Bella." The boy said for the third time. "What do you mean 'I'm sorry'? What are you sorry for? Are you sorry we became best friends? Are you sorry I feel stronger for you than you for me? Are you sorry that I _love_ you? Are you sorry that I told Charlie about the bikes? That I made your time with this freak," he glared at Edward, "much more limited? Are you sorry that I'm a werewolf and he's a vampire? I didn't ask to be what I am, you know!" he was screaming now, and Olivia was sure if he were any louder the whole town would hear.

Edward growled. "I didn't ask to be what I am either, dog!"

Jacob ignored the interrupion and took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. It didn't work. "Are you sorry we ever met, Bella? Do you wish I didn't exist, so that you and _Cullen_," he sneered as he said the name, "can live happily ever after as dead, cold-skinned, blood sucking monsters?!" His shaking was becoming more and more obvious as his anger was building. Olivia knew that any moment he could burst and a war would lash out between him and Edward. She found herself wishing dearly that Nikita was there to keep her safe…

… wait, what? Since when did she need Nikita at every moment in her life? She was perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet! With her new found self confidence, Liv jumped right in between Edward and Jacob, between vampire and werewolf.

Everyone stared in shock at her quick, and suicidal, action. Jacob's surprise was short lived since it soon melted into pure anger. He clearly hadn't noticed this girl, and his first impression of her wasn't necessarily a good one.  
Edward and Bella, however, were astounded. Edward's brow furrowed in confusion and even worry at her sudden decision and Bella looked like a terrified goldfish, her brown eyes as wide as they could possibly go.

"Move." Jacob growled sternly.

Olivia turned to face him directly, and she forced a smirk to play upon her lips. Confidence was a must. "Nuh-uh." She shook her head from side to side with each syllable.

His muscles tightened as he restrained himself from violence. He, instead, decided a threat would get her out of the way. If she didn't take his warning seriously, well then…actions would definitely have to be taken.

"I could tear you to shreds." Jacob said in a low, harsh whisper.

Olivia snorted, rolling her eyes dramatically. She shoved her face forward so that it was a mere inch from his. "I'd like to see you try." She returned in the same tone.

Jacob's face twisted, each of his features transforming to resemble that of a beast, of a dog, of a monster. A devastating snarl ripped from his chest and his nostrils flared as his whole body began to quiver all over again.

Olivia, despite her fear, was still smirking; a cover up.

The tall young man stepped back a couple steps slowly, then all at once, leaped at Olivia. She squeezed her bright green eyes ridiculously tight, but no scream escaped her lips. Before Edward could even react, let alone save her from being cleaved to shreds, a different, and familiar, growl erupted from a different direction. It was followed by a loud thud on the floor and the sounds of a nasty struggle. Olivia opened one eyes to see if she really was still breathing, and why. She gasped when she saw Nikita standing up slowly, his back to her. Then, she saw beyond him: Jacob lying on the floor with blood dripping from his mouth, most likely after being slugged brutally in the jaw. He stared at Nikita incredulously, as did everyone else.

"You _don't_ try." Nick hissed.


	16. sixteen

Nick let Olivia sleep in the next morning. He figured that after all of the commotion, she might need a decent night's rest. She'd fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, exhausted. Nikita loyally sat by her bed, refusing to leave, despite his thirst. It was as if he were a guard dog, sitting rigidly in a chair, watching her with narrowed eyes and listening to everything alertly. However, by the time the sun rose and leaked through the blinds in a soft, grey-green hue, he could no longer deny his need. Without further delay, Nick left Olivia a short note and fled to the dark, unfamiliar forest. Only a few hours following his departure, Liv's green eyes fluttered open. She yawned loudly, stretching her arms straight up above her head, before tumbling lazily out of her bed. She failed to notice that Nick was absent from his usual chair as she staggered off into the kitchen. She checked the cupboards, and even though they were fully stocked with all her favorite foods (courtesy of Nikita), she discovered her appetite had still not recovered. She moved to the fridge and poured herself a glass of water.

Before taking a sip, she reflected on the day before… Edward's snarl, which still made her shudder at the clarity and menace within it, the dispute between him and the werewolf boy, Jacob, and her stupid decision to interfere. But if she hadn't, a war could have broken out, right? And that surely would benefit no one. Olivia's mind continued through the series of events. Jacob threatening her, only an inch away from ripping her to a million pieces… or tear her to shreds, as he'd said, and then Nikita jumping in to save the day, of course. He literally was her own little guard dog. Then, Liv unwillingly went to the situation that followed it all, Jacob's bizarre stare. No matter what she did, she couldn't get the image of his dark eyes out of her head. The intensity within them had been so fierce, so terrifying. But she hadn't been afraid. Not one bit. In fact, she'd been somewhat comforted by his narrowed eyes. But no matter her amount of comfort, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious. Being put on the spot like that, being stared at so oddly by someone you just met, could really shove you into a corner of insecurity.

Olivia shuddered away from the details, not wanting to think too much into why he'd all of a sudden been so scared. She didn't want to wonder why he'd run away so quickly, so ungracefully, so frightened. It was one mystery she'd rather leave unsolved, which was strange. Quite often, she wanted to get to the bottom of things. She hated not being in the know. Part of her was excruciatingly curious to his behavior, while another part shied away from anything to do with him.

Liva sighed and took a long sip of the cold water, and noticed a folded piece of paper on the wooden cutting board. It seemed completely out of place in the too-tidy kitchen. Curious, Olivia set her glass down and unfolded the paper. Inside, she discovered none other than Nikita's script on the other side. She'd recognize that writing anywhere. She read:

_Liv, I hope you slept well._

I've gone for a 'walk'. I'll be back later on in the afternoon, and we can sort this whole mess out together. Do not leave the house.

-Nikita

For some reason, Olivia's fury returned in a sudden rush. She crumpled up the paper into a tight ball and let it slip from her fingers to the polished wooden floor. Who was he to tell her what she could and could not do? Controlling son of a…

If she wanted to leave the house, she could. In fact, she would. Not because she really wanted to march out into the wet and the green of the tiny town, which was one thing she could definitely live without, but because she really felt like pissing Nick off. She would defy him. Olivia then paused. When was the last time she'd truly defied Nick? Sure, she'd gotten to know Bella at school, but that had sort of been a fluke. She had bought him something for his birthday against his wishes, but that was a good sort of rule breaking. It didn't hurt anyone. If she left the house against his will, he'd surely be enraged. She might get hurt, but she could deal. Recently, she'd started to think that maybe her life was _too_ shielded because of Nick. She needed some danger, otherwise she would certainly go insane.

Olivia looked at the clock. It was still early, only eight thirty in the morning. That gave her plenty of time. She finished her water in two more big sips and went off to the bathroom, a towel draped over one arm.  
The hot water of the shower soothed her unpleasant memories of the day before, and the lovely scent of her coconut body wash and mango shampoo even brought the slightest smile to her lips. For a moment, she caught herself singing. It had been a while since she'd sung… and she was surprised she remembered how. Liv then pondered the thought of whether or not she could still dance. Her lyrical dancing would need some work, since she was finding it harder and harder to point and flex her feet. Hip-hop and jazz might be easier to recover, though, so she'd start a class on those first when she got the chance.

Olivia quickly rinsed her hair out and toweled off, twisting the taps until the water quit running. She blew her corn silk strands until they were bone dry and pin straight, and then twisted them up into a high, messy bun. Several strands of hair stuck out in a halo of blond spikes. She parted her bangs to the side and held them there with a couple bobby pins. When she was satisfied with its appearance, Olivia moved onto makeup. She never got too fancy with the stuff, just your basic cover up, lip gloss, mascara and eye liner. The dark lashes framed her green eyes perfectly, making them much more vibrant than usual.

She stifled a yawn as she made her way back to her room. It was the exact same shade of yellow as her old room. In fact, Nikita had redecorated the entire house to resemble that of their old New York home. It was almost comforting, if only they didn't have windows which revealed very plainly where they actually were. The gesture, of course, was very sweet. She reminded herself to thank Nick for painting the house when she wasn't so bitter with him.

Olivia dressed slowly, taking her time. She wore a pair of black jeans, a gray baby-tee along with her dark brown leather jacket. She glanced out the window briefly and noticed happily that it wasn't raining. Not in the mood for school, she decided not to bother arriving late for history and take the whole day off. An occasional ditching couldn't be so bad, and she knew that at the moment Bella wouldn't be too keen on speaking to her. It bothered her more than it should, since she was so accustom to solitude. Olivia supposed that it was because Bella was the only other human to know her secret, so it did matter whether they hated each other or not.

Liv emptied her black messenger bag, ridding it of unimportant school supplies and re-filling it with only her bare necessities: cell phone, camera, iPod, keys, notebook and pencil, wallet, and the newest addition to her must-haves, a small dark blue umbrella. She zipped up her bag and headed out, unsure of where she was going. She didn't bother to lock the door, since there wasn't anything all that valuable inside, excluding Nikita's stereo. But that thing was so huge; she couldn't picture anyone hauling it out to their car. Not to mention they were in Forks, which was quite literally the 'Who-Ville' of Washington. Maybe that's where Dr. Seuss had gotten his incredible idea.

Olivia jumped into her car and thought of what she could do to occupy herself. The only thing that came to mind was to drive around and get accustom to her new surroundings. So, Olivia put the car into ignition and backed out of the driveway carefully.

She drove around aimlessly for half an hour, soon able to recognize street names and houses. Sixty minutes later, she had half of the neighborhood memorized like the back of her hand. However, it only grew tiresome when she drove down the same street for the seventh time. She wasn't lost; it was hard to get lost when you didn't have a destination. But she was bored. Liv sighed and stopped the car at an intersection. She noticed the highway was stretched out in front of her, flanked on either side by dense forest. One glance at the clocked on her dashboard revealed that she still had a solid hour before Nick said he'd generally be due back. What to do with her last hour of freedom was a tough decision, although she had no options to choose from.

A walk might calm her down; help her clear her mind a bit more. Olivia parked the car on the curb and crawled out. She slung her bag across her shoulder and locked her door before she began to stroll along the sidewalk. The empty highway gave her a bit more focus, since there was less to distract her. Of course, it wasn't completely empty, since the occasional car would speed by noisily. She was able to mute the roar of their engines eventually and instead concentrate on the quiet sounds of the forest. Her thoughts wandered, drifting to the same place they were that morning.

A loud snap from the forest, someone stepping on a twig, interrupted her thinking. She whipped around to face the sound and felt the wind around her change pace, as though someone were running very quickly by her, very quickly but very silently. She then felt as though a pair of eyes were burning into her with an intense force.

Olivia caught her breath.

Nikita.

She panicked. She knew that he had to be furious with her for leaving the house. Liv wasn't in the mood to deal with that argument, not yet. Without thinking, she turned and fled into the highway which she had blocked out, hoping to cross the street. Her hope was shattered when she saw a car barreling towards her at an immense speed. She still couldn't hear the engine, since she'd spent so much energy into silencing the street noises. The driver, a teenage boy, had some sort of hardcore rock music blasting from his speakers and his attention was everywhere but the road. The music faded from Olivia's ears as the car grew closer, her fear and adrenaline pulsing wildly in her ears. At first, all she could hear was her own heart beating frantically, but a loud growl erupted from the forest and then it was completely quiet. Her legs were frozen, she couldn't move an inch. The car never slowed. From the same direction as the growl, came someone's voice,

"No!" they screamed.

Olivia longed to turn and see who it was, but her eyes remained glued to the car. When the vehicle was close enough for her to give a physical description of the boy, spiky brown hair, brown eyes and freckles covering his face, Liv was knocked out of the way. She felt herself flying for a short moment, then found herself on the wet grass on the other side of the road, unharmed. All around her suddenly felt warm, and the temperature was only rising. She realized then that someone was on top of her.

Finally, all the pieces came together. The growl, the person's voice, the heat…

A werewolf had saved her. And not just any werewolf, but Jacob. The same one who'd acted so weird the day before.

Olivia scowled and tried to push him. "Bloody hell," she cursed, "get off me, you mangy mutt."

He did so accordingly, jumping to his bare feet. His dark eyes were narrowed onto her. They were less intense than yesterday, but still carried something that made Olivia flinch and smile all at once. She noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, his lovely copper skinned chest revealed. Olivia could never get used to how huge he really was. His black sweats were faded and torn in some places. He wasn't wearing anything other than that, and Olivia found it odd. She quickly remembered the heat factor and the fact that he needed to phase in and out, and then his lack of clothing made perfect sense.

"Fine choice of words for someone who just saved your life." He muttered, offering her a hand to help her up.

Olivia ignored his large hand and crawled to her feet on her own. She rolled her eyes and laughed without humor. "You almost _took_ my life, yesterday, in case you forgot, dog." She spat back, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jacob frowned, since he knew he wouldn't ever forget. He was displeased she'd found it necessary to bring it up; he'd beaten himself over it enough that night. He rubbed the back of his neck, his dark eyes, for once, downcast and away from her. "Well, I see you've already inherited a bloodsucker's speech…" he mumbled, then spoke up. "About yesterday… I… I wanted to apologize about that."

Olivia let her arms drop, and her whole tone changed. "Why?" she asked, confused. She'd only been bugging him… she honestly wasn't really angry with him. Well, not so much angry as she was intimidated.

Jacob raised one eyebrow, looking up and staring at her as if she were clinically insane. "What do you mean 'why'?"

Olivia shrugged. His eyes were on her, so she looked at his forehead instead. It was an old trick she'd figured out in elementary school. "I mean, _why_? It was only instinct. Besides, no harm, no foul. I said you _almost_ took my life." She was surprised to find she was trying to reassure him, and even more so when her lips moved on their own accord into a comforting smiled. Clearly the smile was a wasted effort as he shook his head, seeming even more disturbed.

"Are you seriously that forgiving?" he asked.

"My best friend is a vampire." She reminded him simply. The word 'vampire' was never hard for her to say. It was just fact, even if it did sound a bit strange.

He accepted that as a yes, raising his eyebrows and nodding. "Good point."

A long silence passed as they both stood there, Olivia avoiding his eyes and Jacob trying desperately to communicate something vital to her. He finally heaved a loud sigh and sat on the curb. He seemed troubled by something, and Olivia was shocked to discover her concern. She took a few moments to gather her thoughts before sitting next to him.

"Hmmm…" she took a long look at him, since at the moment he had his head in his hands. "You really love that Bella girl, don't you? That's why you were so upset yesterday." She said, her voice quiet.

Jacob's head shot up and he looked at her, shaken by her question. Olivia stared at the pavement, refusing to let his eyes disconcert her. He nodded slowly.

"Yeah… well, I mean… I think I do…" to be perfectly honest, he wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Liv shook her head, disapproving. "Love never thinks, it knows."

Jacob bit his lip, looking away. "Yeah…" he said absentmindedly. "But…I'm confused, though…" His eyes averted back to her.

Olivia's brow puckered curiously. "About what?"

"Just…her…" he answered, with much difficulty. He never specified who the 'her' was.

Olivia, assuming he was talking about Bella, actually laughed. "That makes sense; girls are never very clear." She told him, her voice much brighter than she could have imagined. What happened to her strange fear of him?

Jake laughed along with her, but his mood didn't lighten. He turned abruptly to face her directly. Olivia didn't move, still frightened by the intensity of his stare and unsure of what it meant. She continued to stare at nothing in particular in front of her.

"But…" he began, struggling for words once again, "recently… very recently, actually, I've started to think that I don't… love her, I mean." He pursed his lips and looked down at his hands.

Olivia didn't turn to face him, still afraid. "Why's that?" she asked, her eyes remaining forwards.

Jacob took a deep breath.  "Uhhh…. Has your leech--"

"Nikita." She interrupted sharply.

Jacob nodded. "Has he explained imprinting to you?" he asked, wary.

"Yes… oh, wait, you imprinted?" she asked, risking a glance at him. He seemed almost pained, and Olivia was stunned to find she wanted to wrap her arms around him and soothe him.

He nodded again. "I think so, yeah…"

She knew it really wasn't any of her business and she shouldn't even ask, but curiosity usually got the best of her. "On who…?" she said quickly, still never looking at him.

Jacob was silent, again, for a long while, his eyes never leaving her. "Uhm, well--"  he stopped short, his body going rigid before he leaped to his feet.

Olivia didn't need to look up to figure out what was happening. She knew all too well why Jacob would suddenly tense up, and she'd been expecting it. Instead, she braced herself for the yelling.

As if on cue…

"Olivia, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Nikita screamed at the top of his lungs.


	17. seventeen

Nikita was already there, standing with his fists clenching and unclenching by his sides in irritation. Olivia had been expecting this. He always lost his temper so easily. He had so much patience when she needed him, but whenever someone betrayed or disregarded him, he couldn't handle it. His short temper was one thing she'd had some trouble adjusting to, but by this time she was accustom to his enraged yelling and how little it took to make him get so furious. But what always surprised her was his ability to restrain from physical harm. Whenever she reached her boiling point, her palms would tingle and she ached to hit something, _anything_.

Liv sighed and stood to receive her scolding, but when she looked up, she realized that Jacob was already in front of her. He was angling himself between her and Nick. Her green eyes went wide with shock.

"What are you _doing_?!" she hissed, her voice suddenly angry.

He didn't reply, his eyes only narrowing further into a stabbing glare, pinpointed at Nikita. Olivia gaped at him, still not blinking. He was _defending_ her. Why would he possibly want to protect her, of all people? None of it added up. Liv shook her head, trying to make some sort of sense out of it all, to attempt to grasp what was going on.

Nick, however, grit his teeth angrily at Jacob's sudden act of defense. He wouldn't back down, not now. To lose to a werewolf would be pathetic, lowering to his pride. His stubborn attitude when it came to arguments was just the same as Olivia's. If the two got into even the smallest dispute over the littlest thing, they'd be at it for ours.

"Step down, mongrel." He spoke, careful not to let any sort of profanity into his speech. His urge to swear when he was frustrated was at times irresistible, but whenever Olivia was near, he seemed to work harder at it. It always made her laugh to see him search desperately for proper words. Either that or it irritated her. She'd always been very passive to violence, so swearing was quite literally nothing compared to what she usually saw and could shrug off. This sort of nonchalance came from living her entire life in New York City, pretty much on her own.

Jacob shook his head vigorously without speaking.

"Back off now, before this gets ugly." Nick warned, leaning a bit further forward into a very slight crouch.

Jacob snorted. "Was that a threat? 'Cause it sounded pretty empty…" the corner of his mouth twitched up into a smirk as he spoke so sarcastically.

Nikita stepped forward, Jacob stepped back. Olivia stumbled backwards to avoid being trampled by him.

"Don't play with me, dog, I bite." Nick snarled as his upper lip curled over a set of very white, razor-sharp teeth.

Jake rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Very funny, leech."

Nikita shrugged casually. The gesture seemed odd when he did it while in such a battle-ready stance. "I always have been quite the comedian." He replied darkly, his soft gray eyes brooding.

Olivia grimaced. Nikita was just getting nastier, as was Jacob. She couldn't take their arguing anymore, it was getting on her nerves.

"Stop it." She demanded, trying to keep her voice calm and with some measure of authority.

They ignored her. Jacob took a long stride forward and towered over Nikita, but Nick didn'y flinch or cower from the sudden closeness. The most that happened was that both of their noses scrunched up in disgust for each other's odor.

A rumbled echoed faintly in both of their chests.

"I said stop it!" Olivia cried, her voice raising an octave in slight panic. She grabbed Jacob's burning hot wrist and tried to pull him back. A hopeless and wasted effort, she knew, but she tried anyways. He ripped his hand away from her, never breaking his cold gaze from Nick. When his hand was gone, Olivia felt a strange tearing sensation from somewhere else other than her hand, and she realized with a jolt that it came from her chest. From her heart. As if a piece had been ripped from it viciously. She glanced down at her hand curiously, and it tingled as the cool air re-froze it after Jacob's heat had so quickly warmed it. She shook her head, shrugging off the sensation.

Nikita looked at her briefly, breaking the glare competition between him and the werewolf boy, but his posture never loosened.

"Go home, Liv." He ordered sternly.

Olivia gave him her worst look, filled with surprise and fury. "_Excuse me_?" she asked, appalled. Why was he always trying to control her lately? Do this, do that. Don't do this, don't do that. She felt like smacking him across the face! Although she knew all too well that would feel like hitting concrete, since she had hit him so many times before.

"I said go home. Go get in your car, and _go home_." his voice grew more and more acidic with each exaggerated syllable.

She wasn't going to take this anymore. It was getting ridiculous how he so rudely barked orders, treating her as if she were some sort of pet.

"No." she said between clenched teeth. She knew this would set him off, and she really didn't care. Let him scream. Let him growl. He could do whatever the hell he wanted, it didn't matter anymore. She did not belong to him.

Nikita looked at her then, his eyes confused and concerned. "What?" he asked mutely, his posture softening so that he stood straight. Jacob chuckled, looking at Olivia out of the corner of his eye.

His reaction was much gentler than what Liv had been expecting, but it didn't shake her. "No. You don't own me, Nikita." Her lips were still tight and her eyes were unbelievably sharp. Who could have guessed that such a quiet girl, such a small girl could have such a well practiced glare. She scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest obstinately.

Jacob laughed again, stepping back a bit so that Nikita and Olivia could confront each other properly. Of course, he remained close to Olivia in case Nick decided he needed to take a swing.

"Seems your little pet here finally wants out of its cage." He teased bitterly, his face smug.

"Shut up." Nick spat, then looked at Olivia, his expression soft. "Liv, what's wrong?" he took a step towards her and Olivia noticed Jacob grow even more on edge, though he still smirked flawlessly.

"Why don't you go home, Nikita?" she was using his full name, a sure sign that she was angry.

Nick shook his head, not understanding her sudden change in mood. "Honestly, Olivia, I--"

Liv cut him off there. "No. Enough. I'm my own person; I'll do what I want. Not what _you_ tell me to." She sneered, and surprised herself when she realized she'd done it without meaning to. She was really mad at him.

Nick flinched at her words, but shook his head again. "But a _werewolf_? Come on, Olivia, you know they aren't stable. You could get hurt!" his face was pleading for her to agree. Usually his begging and pathetic faces made her pity him and take his side.

Not this time.

She dropped her arms angrily to her side and leaned forward, preparing herself to yell at him. "All risks have consequences, I know. But if I played by the rules, I wouldn't have you as my best friend!"

He frowned. "You didn't _have_ to be my friend." He mumbled, looking down. It was obvious who would win this argument.

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to intrude on my life and ask me a million questions until I felt like I could trust you with my life." She reminded him viciously. "So what if being with a werewolf is dangerous? I _need_ some danger in my life otherwise I'll go insane. You can't keep shielding me and controlling my every move in hopes that I'll never be harmed!!" she was screaming at him, and each word made his perfect features crumple in pain. Jacob's eyebrows raised in shock that such a loud voice could come from such a small girl, that she could really have such a temper. "So, _you_ go home. Let me live my life, dammit." She took a deep breath, and felt her body shaking. She wasn't sure if yelling at her had made her feel better or worse.

Nikita's eyes were on the pavement, his lips pursed tightly. Olivia had hurt him badly, but he had always been good at concealing his emotions. He looked up, his face hard.  
Jacob gnawed on his lower lip. Despite the humor he found in the situation, he couldn't help but be a bit nervous for the turn out.

Nick, without saying a word, nodded solemnly and left. He was gone in moments and his departure had been so silent it was unsettling.

A long moment of silence broke out and Jacob noticed that Olivia was shaking. A few more moments passed, before she collapsed. She fell onto her knees and held her face in her hands. A few strangled sobs escaped her throat before she looked up. She'd been expecting to see Jacob staring at her strangely, his insanely tall frame blocking any shred of light. Instead, she found him kneeling by her side. Her neck and shoulders felt warm and she saw that he'd wrapped an arm securely around her.

She took a moment to recollect herself, then explained, "I've…I've never yelled at him before… not like that, at least…" she choked out sadly.

He nodded slowly, and met her eyes. His weren't as intense, though she could till detect the strange ferocity within them, but they were caring, gentle. "You okay?" he asked, his voice softer than she could have imagined.

Olivia's arms twined around her torso. "I feel sick…" she moaned, her face twisting painfully.

Without any warning, Jacob scooped her up effortlessly in his arms. They were warm and comforting, but Olivia still let out a small shriek. She looked at him. Less than a day ago, he'd been threatening to kill her. Now, here he was carrying her and asking if she was feeling all right. It didn't make any sense. Then again, nothing really made any sense at all anymore. She let it slide, and decided to question it all later on.

He looked at her, too, and a small smile spread across his lips. "I guess I'll take you to my place, since your leech'll need some time to cool off." He suggested.

Olivia didn't bother to interject when he'd said 'leech' to try and correct him. She'd rather not think about Nikita, it only pained her and angered her all at once.

"Thanks." She mumbled. As they walked down the road, Olivia glanced over her shoulder at her car. She was so used to being worried about car thefts because it became a very natural habit when you came from New York. Liv had to quickly remind herself that she was in Forks and the chances of someone stealing her car would be as likely as Nikita forgetting every word she'd said to him:

Slim to none.


	18. eighteen

The heat of his arms encircling her was oddly comforting. Though, at the same time, it was foreign. Olivia was so accustom to Nikita's cold embrace and sweet scent, that the warm and the woodsy odor that lingered from Jacob was certainly different. It wasn't something she was used to. After a year of learning how to ignore the cool temperature, the strange warmth took her off-guard. She glanced at him curiously as he carried her so calmly back to his home. She wondered idly what his home might look like…

She'd always had a vague idea of what a vampire's home would look, sound and smell like: spotless, cold, deathly silent, an irresistible sweet odor lingering, decorated with unnecessary and expensive knick-knacks and appliances and furniture. But what about a werewolf's home? Would it be the complete opposite? Would it be messy, warm, noisy, decorated with simpler things and have a comforting woodsy scent? She pondered this for a while, but decided it really didn't matter in the end.

Her green eyes shifted from in her head, to above her head. Jacob stared straight ahead with a new sort of intensity. It wasn't intimidating, since he seemed happy. As if he wouldn't rather be anywhere but where he was. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Something about this kid… Well, she couldn't really call him _kid_ He was about her age, sixteen or seventeen, she guessed. And Olivia had always hated being called a kid.

Jacob must have felt her staring, since his own dark eyes met hers quickly. The intensity remained, but he grinned kindly. The smile reached his eyes and they crinkled joyfully in the corners, making him appear much younger. Liv couldn't help but smile in return, but hers was faint. She wasn't sure how to respond to his behavior, yet. It really was bizarre the way he was around her. Unless, of course, he was always like this. In which case, she could understand why Bella had fallen for Edward instead of him and his confusing ways.

To be perfectly honest, Olivia didn't really like Edward. He was stubborn and overprotective. Sure, so was Nikita. But Cullen took it to _extremes_. At least Nick knew when to back down, and wasn't completely on edge about her being unsupervised with a werewolf. Her sudden thoughts of Nikita made her bite down hard on her lower lip in guilt and regret. She gnawed on it for a short while until she convinced herself that it was only in due time that she would have had to tell him off. Better sooner than later; rip the bandage off quick. He'd forgive her eventually, she was sure of it. He might have a talent for grudges, but he sucked at hating Olivia. It was as if some unseen force _made_ them love each other the way they did, some sort of unbreakable bond.

But Jacob… Olivia wasn't sure how she felt about him. Sometimes he was irritating, others he was incredibly sweet. She couldn't decide which half was more dominant. At the moment, the sweet side was higher. As he carried her in his strong arms to his home, trying to make her feel better and overall concerned for her feelings, there was no doubt in her mind that his kinder side shone through brightly when he wasn't blinded by fury.

"We're almost there." Jake assured her, looking ahead again.

Liv only nodded, her eyes never budging from his russet-hued face.

A chilly wind swept through the still air, raising a thousand goosebumps on Olivia forearms, since she'd rolled up the sleeves of her jacket. Jacob saw her small shoulders shake slightly and his arms constricted a bit tighter around her instinctively. This was a strange feeling; it would take a lot of getting used to. It was different with her. She was rather passive to violence and not afraid to yell at Nikita. She didn't object when he'd picked her up, much to his surprise. Usually Bella threw a fit until he set her safely back down on the ground. Not to mention, Bella would never yell at her precious Edward. Jacob scoffed mentally at the name. What kind of name was Edward? You couldn't even make a decent nickname out of it! All you could get would be Ed, or Eddy. Lame.

The solid pavement beneath his feet faded to grass as he entered La Push, and he quickly came upon the dirt trail that led to his familiar home.

He looked down briefly at her, and his lips turned up into a smile when he saw her eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even. He ducked his head closer to her.

"Olivia?" he whispered, testing.

She mumbled something incoherent and shifted in his arms. Jacob chuckled quietly and curled her tighter against him. He wasn't even aware of how close he held her. It was as if it were reflex, or some sort of addiction. As if he _had_ to have her with him, as much as possible. Jake continued to cradle her against his broad, bare chest while he opened the door silently and then gracefully went into the living room. Billy wasn't there, but the TV was still running. Jacob assumed his father had gone to run a couple errands and would be back soon enough.

He unwillingly lay Olivia down onto the love seat, and she seemed to cling to his warm arms for a moment. He smiled, but freed himself from her grasp easily, and she settled back into a slumber on the couch. Jacob took a long moment to look at her. He just wanted to have a peaceful minute or so to stare at her. He stared at her golden blond strands that stuck out so cutely from her messy bun, her flawless sun-kissed skin, and her eyes. Even if they were closed at the moment, they were etched permanently into his mind that he could conjure up the image of them in a split second. Their bright green color was so radiant; he couldn't even compare it to any other shade. He couldn't compare it to the lush green grass of a forest, to the deep green of a fir tree. He couldn't compare it to the lovely green of the jade-hued stones along First Beach, nor to the vibrant green of the water plants found int the tide-pools. They were such a unique shade of green… No, they were made up of hundreds of different shades. Depending on how the light hit them, a new green would appear at every angle. He adored her eyes.

Finally, Jacob realized he'd been staring at her for almost fifteen minutes. He shook his head, running a hand lazily through his shaggy black hair and plopped down onto the floor. In the process, he banged his elbow on the corner of the coffee table.

"Ouch!" he hissed, them clamped one of his large hands over his big mouth. He stared wide-eyed at Olivia, hoping he didn't wake her.

His hope vanished when her gorgeous eyes fluttered open.

However, he smiled warmly.

"Hey." He greeted in a hushed voice.

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut once more, opening them wider. "Hi…" her brow pinched as she sat up and observed where she was

Jacob caught her confused expression. "Oh, this is my house. You fell asleep on the way." He explained quickly.

She nodded slowly, stretching her arms and stifling a yawn. She took another look around, and realized it really _was_ the opposite. It was very warm, but that might have been simply because Jacob was sitting so close to her. The woodsy smell was also evident… but that, too, could also have been from Jacob. It was small, unlike what she imagined the Cullen's house to be, and the furniture was simple. The fabric it was made of wasn't the finest silk of Italy, like the stuff Nikita had bought back at her old home. The table had a few dishes on it and there was a blanket strewn messily on the floor. You wouldn't find anything lying around in a vampire's home.

Finally, Olivia looked at Jacob. His expression was undeniably inviting and content. It calmed her for a moment, but then the wave of the recent events washed over her. She was ambushed, once again, by the sudden feelings of guilt and embarrassment.

"Ugh…" she groaned when the image of Nikita's pained face flashed beneath her eyelids.

"What is it?" Jake asked, a bit too concerned.

"I just remembered my fight with Nick…" she pulled her legs up beside her on the couch. Her voice was slightly hoarse, and Jacob was instantly standing. He hopped off to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of cold water, and then returned to the living room.

"Here, drink." He ordered, handing it to her.

She did as she was told and gulped the whole glass thirstily. "Thank you."

"Welcome." He said, abbreviating the response.

He was ready to sit back down on the floor, when he noticed the available space beside her. He eyed it meaningfully. "Do you mind…?"

She shook her head. "Not at all." Olivia scooted down a bit further to give him some more room.

Jacob fell onto the cushion with a loud sigh, and then he turned to her.

"It feels weird." She blurted out suddenly.

Jacob's face flashed a few emotions; confusion, pain, and then finally, curiosity.

"What does?" he questioned, cocking his head innocently to one side.

"Being mad at Nick." Liv sighed, staring at her empty glass mournfully.

"Hmm…" Jake nodded as if he had any interest in the bloodsucker. As far as Nikita went, the only thing that mattered was his tight bond to Olivia. "How long have you known him?" he murmured, slowly getting to a different point.

"Just over a year." Came her quick reply. It seemed like so much longer to her; like she'd known him her whole life.

Jacob raised his eyebrows skeptically. "And you've _never_ been mad at him?"

She pursed her lips and shook her head. "Never. Well, frustrated with him, yeah. But not once have I ever been truly mad at him… I've never even yelled at him, really." She confessed.

Jacob bit his lip as he considered whether he should ask or not. Finally, he just spat it out without thinking too much. Mind as well be honest. "Do you love him?" the words were a bit rushed, and he wondered if she'd even understood what he'd said.

Olivia heard him, and his question staggered her. "How do you mean…?" she asked cautiously.

Jacob returned the careful expression. "Well, what is he to you…?" he narrowed it down a bit more.

Liv shrugged. "My best friend… or rather, more appropriately, my _only_ friend."

Jacob fought to control the small wince which ached to spread across his features. Did she not consider him as her friend? He could completely understand why she wouldn't call him a friend yet (the whole almost killing her thing might be reason enough). But still… it sorta hurt...

Jacob smoothed out his expression, and continued. "So, you don't consider him, as Bella would categorize it, your 'soulmate'?" he used air quotes with his fingers.

Olivia's lips twitched, and she burst into peals of laughter. "No!" she gasped, giggling. "No, definitely not." She caught her breath and shook her head, trying to picture it. _Nikita? HAH_

Jacob's face immediately brightened. Now that he knew he didn't have any real competition, some complications were lifted. Of course, Nikita would still be an obstacle to him spending more time with her…

Olivia didn't notice the changes in his expressions very much. Her naiveté wasn't helping anyone in the current situation.

"Oh, hey," she chirped. "You never did tell me who you imprinted on." Curiosity dripped from every word.

Jacob's face darkened. He wasn't ready to admit to that. Not yet, at least. "W-well, I…" he stammered, looking down at his hands, fumbling for a response. "You see, I—

His already awkward sentence was interrupted by the front door creaking open. The squeak of wet tires closed in on the living room, and Billy emerged from the entrance in his chair.

"Jake?" he asked, though he was looking at Olivia.

Jacob's face was obviously relieved. "Hey, Dad." He greeted with a small smile.

Billy's dark eyes narrowed onto Olivia, and she immediately was on the defense. He clearly already didn't approve of her. Must be Nikita's scent, which still stuck on her clothing.

"What's all this?" he asked his son, observing Olivia with stern eyes.

Jacob stood and rubbed the back of his neck. "Er… this is Olivia… she's from… uh, out of town." He substituted, a sheepish expression creeping onto his face.

Billy inhaled through his nose, and his composure flinched. His old, weathered nose wrinkled in strong distaste. "Well _that's_ for sure." He scoffed bitterly.

Olivia rolled her bright green eyes dramatically. "Oh, relax, Chief." Billy stared at her incredulously. "I already know, okay? There's no need to be all suspicious. We all know each other's secrets." She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms strongly across her chest.

Billy took a moment to collect himself, and his expression turned unexpectedly approving. "You certainly aren't timid." He spoke, his voice somewhat smug.

Olivia shrugged loosely, her posture softening a bit. "Not when it comes to honesty."

Billy stared at her, his eyes thoughtful. "Jacob."

Jake was looking from Olivia to his father over and over, unsure of how the encounter was going to go. When his dad called his name, he immediately was pulled from his worries. "Whaaaat, dad?" he whined.

"Is this…?" he looked at Liv meaningfully, then back to his son.

Jacob was instantly serious as his head bobbed up and down in a short nod.

Billy hummed a sigh, looking Olivia up and down one more time. "I see… Well, this oughtta be interesting." He murmured, almost to himself. "Olivia, was it?"

"Yes."

Billy Black pursed his lips. "Do you have any… intentions… on…uh…" he coughed uncomfortably. "..'changing'?" he didn't use air quotes, but the way he said it sounded like he did.

Olivia comprehended immediately, and shook her head, much to their relief. "Currently, nothing has been arranged… or discussed." She frowned, wondering why she hadn't spoken to Nikita about if he would even consider her changing.

In unison, Billy and Jacob breathed a loud sigh of release. Billy allowed a tiny smile on his lips. "Alright, well, I'm off for a nap. It's been a tiring day…" he waved absentmindedly at Liv and Jake then wheeled off to bed.

A strange silence set in for a minute or two. Jacob was deep in thought and Olivia watched him intently. When he still didn't speak, Olivia wondered if it would be better if she left.

"Okay…" Jacob snapped out of his reverie. "...well…uh, bye." She forced a faint smile then stood. She took only two steps to the door when a warm hand caught her wrist.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, too loudly. He lowered his volume. "Where are you going?"

She didn't understand the urgency behind his voice. "Sadly, home." One corner of her mouth turned down.

"You should stay." Jacob was nearly pleading. "Otherwise, your paras— I mean, uh, Nikita, will blow." He spoke frantically, finding any excuse for her to stay, really.

Olivia smiled as warmly as she possibly could and shook her head. She freed her hand from his grasp. "He'll blow if I _don't_ go home, is more like it."

Jacob's face crumpled slightly. "B-but… but, well… I-I… I…. oh, never mind. See ya, I guess…" he mumbled at the end, looking at the floor. Olivia didn't notice his lower lip jutting out in a small pout.

She stared at him as if he was going crazy. "Uhmm… alright… see ya…" she backed out of the room and left quietly. She wasn't quite sure where she was headed, but she could find her way out of the reservation. It couldn't be that hard.

By the time Liv was strolling along the stony beach, she heard someone calling her name. She whipped around and saw Jacob jogging over to her.

"Olivia!" he cried, soon only a few feet away from her.

"What now?" she asked, somewhat exhausted by his inability to speak a full sentence.

He stopped and stood directly in front of her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black sweats and his head hung a bit, hiding his expression. "Listen… I, uh….you…" he attempted to clear his throat.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Jake, just spit it out."

He looked up. "Wha—?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Eloquence really isn't your best quality, is it?" she asked, mocking him with a smug smile.

He shook his head, suddenly extremely frustrated. "Could we walk?" he asked quietly.

Olivia shrugged. Why not?

Jacob walked with her down the beach. They walked silently, through the small section of forest that lead to the tide pools. Jake sat Olivia down on one of the rocks and paced on top of another. Liv only raised an eyebrow at him sarcastically. What was on his mind that was so tough for him to say?

He took a long, hard look at her, then sat next to her.

"Olivia… 'kay, what I have to say might work better if you close your eyes… could you?" he asked, a bit embarrassed.

Olivia, without a single question, closed her eyes and waited patiently.

That's when Jacob lost his train of thought. The sun broke through the stretch of gray clouds, lighting her face. It glittered of off her bright blond hair, and revealed her amazing natural beauty. He couldn't possibly resist that level of splendor. Without thinking his thoughts through once, let alone twice, Jacob held either side of Olivia's face and kissed her.

He pressed his warm lips to hers eagerly, one hand slipping behind her neck.

Olivia felt his hands on her face, and before she knew it, his lips were against hers with such an astonishing force of enthusiasm. She immediately froze, not moving her lips at all. Then, she brought both her hands to his chest and shoved him off. He responded to her touch, never wanting to over-power her. He backed-off immediately, but she wasn't finished. Her open hand smacked the side of his face roughly, and he felt it. Oh, did he ever.

Olivia was so used to pushing or hitting Nick playfully, that she hadn't been affected at all. Her palm tingled a bit from the force, but all-in-all, she was perfectly fine.

Jacob, however, was holding his cheek and staggering backwards a couple steps. He caught his balance very quickly and approached her. He wasn't angry, his body wasn't shaking. But he sure as hell wasn't happy.

"What was _that_ for?" he demanded, towering over her slight frame with his mammoth figure.

Olivia wiped her mouth and spat on the ground. "Ugh, personal space." She muttered, and then glowered at him. "What was _that_ for?!" she almost screamed, referring to the kiss.

Jacob's face flushed and he looked away. "I…." he started, then changed his mind. He'd just say it. "Olivia, you know how I imprinted?"

She nodded, her face still furious.

He looked at her as if she were missing a big piece of a puzzle, or an obvious clue that was laid out right in front of her.

Suddenly, it all added up. The intensity in his eyes, his odd behavior, the stare on that first day, Edward's smirk when he read Jacob's thoughts, the kiss…

_Jacob had imprinted on __her_

Her marvelous green eyes went wide with shock and she gasped.

"You… you, imprinted… on …..m-me??" now it was her turn to be at a loss for worse.

Jacob smiled, glad she finally knew, and nodded. "Yes." He whispered.

Olivia's mind whirled, then went blank.


End file.
